WHERE I STAND

Hi, my name is Marie Granucci. I’m 39 with spastic ataxia cerebral palsy and psoriatic arthritics. I have an associate in Human Services and a certificate in recreation therapy. It took me longer then most but when you have cerebral palsy that’s what happens when you want to get something or go somewhere in life. It takes you longer to get what you want or where you want to go in life but if you workout at it people with cerebral palsy will get there. I would know because I have in many parts of my life and I’m still working out with other things I want and need in life. I’m one of 17 million people around the world with Cerebral Palsy. Most people know cerebral palsy as a childhood disability but what happens to those children when they turn 18? We still have it but unfortunately as we age, there is not very many health professionals that deal with adults with CP. As a child I always heard Cerebral Palsy never gets worse. Yes that is true to some point. Unfortunately, just because we have cerebral palsy it doesn’t omit us from getting other health issues and that’s what medical professionals don’t understand. My challenge right now is not just keeping my Cerebral Palsy in check but also keeping my Psoriatic arthritis under control. If I only had one of these health issues I could deal with it but I have both. Workout with cerebral palsy is a metaphor for my life. I have to”workout” just to keep the two disabilities in check. About five years ago I joined a United Cerebral Palsy Group (UCP) to help me understand more about CP in my adult life. ( It was time to take control of my future and embrace my disability.) As a kid, I was open to a point about having CP because I knew my parents were there to take care of everything I needed but now as an adult the roles are reversed. I need to be in charge of my life though my parents would be around to support me when needed. By going to UCP it helped me to see a part of myself that I never wanted to get in touch with.