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Online home for Zachary Fenell, author, public speaker, and all around cerebral palsy advocate!
Cerebral palsy can easily leave you feeling like an outsider. When talking about staying fit though, we in the CP community possess company. Others with physical disabilities encounter similar sentiments. Short people pardon the pun go overlooked. Bigger individuals may feel self-conscious. Such emotions make pursuing an active lifestyle intimidating. Trust me, I know the…
Living with cerebral palsy you will face moments where anger bests your more sensible side. I bet each individual with CP can recall at least one such memory. Maybe accessibility issues prevented you from going to a party. Or, you encounter a stranger who made extremely unfair assumptions about you. Those assumptions may cause said…
Understand you belong. No matter your cerebral palsy, you belong! Unfortunately, your own self-talk could try to convince you differently. Today’s post aims to equip you to overcome said negativity. By the end you will not need me saying “You belong.” Instead you will stand tall as possible, ready to declare “I BELONG!” Trust me,…
Dare to expand your physical limitations, but stay safe while doing so. Admittedly, these two concepts seem at odds with each other. Within your physical limits comes inherit safety. Trying to expand those limits leaves you vulnerable. Especially when you must add in cerebral palsy! Just contemplate what expanding physical limitations entail. You push yourself…
Wednesday, July 20th, 2016 people across the web celebrated friendship using the hashtag “#FriendshipIs.” National Inclusion Project promoted the “friendship is” initiative. As explained in-part on their website, “Making friends is often the fastest way for a child to be included. With friends, we have a companion who is there with us to play, grow…
Sisters or brothers bond uniquely. Indeed siblings share an extraordinary relationship. You may not always get along. Yet when needed, you come together. Varying factors shape each sisters or brothers bond. A cerebral palsy diagnosis proves one possible factor. Does the extra attention CP demand create jealously? Might doctor appointments or therapy sessions cause scheduling…
*Links to Amazon’s sales page for Pedifix’s Visco-GEL Toe Spacers (my preferred solution for overlapping toes), are a part of the Amazon affiliate program. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Overlapping toes I recall dealing with forever. Okay, forever sounds dramatic. Yet I cannot say I am exaggerating. I battled the issue…
“I made it.” You can read those words different ways. One perspective relieves. Relief you survived an ordeal. Alternatively the words can represent a rally cry. Victory remains yours! You triumphed. You thrived. The latter stands the appropriate way to perceive Juana M. Ortiz’s memoir title, I Made It. For Ortiz she triumphed in multiple…
June 13th, 2016 NBC aired amputee Zach Gowen’s run on American Ninja Warrior. Gowen wowed everyone as he took on the course. Just watch! After watching you might think. “Great job Zach Gowen! But Zachary, what does this have to do with cerebral palsy?” Fair question you. My analysis reveals three lessons that transcend amputees.…
“You just don’t get it.” Probably a commonplace thought among the cerebral palsy community. Sentiment at times geared to parents. Yet writing Off Balanced I realized the phrase converses. You could say I don’t get parenting a child with cerebral palsy. Or, at least I did not growing up. Penning Off Balanced I aimed to…