Anee,

Why do people have to know we have Cerebral Palsy when we are just meeting
them ?

Kathy









----- Original Message -----
From: Anee Stanford <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 12:52 PM
Subject: Re: Do You have CP?


> Hi everyone:
>
> What I have been seeing as I read this current thred is intresting. Be
> assured that the first time I meet someone the the first thing I say to
them
> is not "My name is Anee Stanford and I have cerebral palsy..."  (though I
> have no quams about saying this if it is neccessary) no it is usualy "Hi,
my
> name is Anee I am a college student and I run a large website". Or maby
"I'm
> majoring in healthcare administration" or something like that.  As a
matter
> of course if the subject of why I am the way I am comes up than I have no
> truble saying that "I have cerebral palsy" or something to that affect.
>
>  But I think what Dineise and correct me if I am wrong was talking about
was
> feeling comfterble with admitting to yourself that "my name is ______ and
I
> have _______" I think that it is very important to be able to do that in
your
> own mind because it is a part of your being that you can;t ignor.  If you
try
> and flat out ignor the fact that you have CP or some other disability I
think
> you will not be compleetly accepting of your self and thus that is why
being
> able to say something like "my name is____and I have ____ is important to
if
> nothing elce peace of mind shall we say.  And at the same time if the
subject
> dose come up in the course of conversation to be able to tell this to
others
> with out having a problem with it.  I have been in cospondence with an
middle
> aged adult for sometime now who is not on this list and has CP and he/she
is
> not able to say in his/her mind "my name is___and I have___" with out
> becoming self concious...he/she litraly hates being diffrent and is very
> angry that he/she has CP and all this anger is of course causing him/her
to
> have problems...but enough about that.
>
> I am not self consiss of being diffrent or having CP (and glad that I am
not)
> and the ways in which having CP has influenced my life have helped me
grately
> in being able to look at things from a diffrent point of view than those
> around me and that's why I think having CP or any other disability is so
> great at least in my point of view.  It dosn't define me as a person..no
> disability or single factor should...but it dose strongly influence what I
do
> and my beliefs and the way I look at the world, my whole family would tell
> you that...boy if you want to sart a discussion on the diffrence this can
> make in peoples attitudes and believes when compared to the rest of there
> famiy's attitudes and beliefs I am the person to talk to--I am sort of a
loan
> ranger in my family  and how I see things.     I can't imagin my life
without
> CP and don't really want to.
>
> This is a bit wordy but I hope you can understand what I am about to say:
>
> I think that being abele to say that you have CP is a big step [assuming
you
> have cp or what ever disability] towards relizing WHO YOU ARE --- I put
that
> in caps for a reason-- what role you can play and were you can contribuit,
> not just your name but the whole and compleet person you make up and the
body
> of work you will contribute to the world.  If you have CP or another
> disability there is no getting around the fact that it is a part of you
and
> to accept yourself for who you are you have to accept the disability as
well.
>
> Anyway those are my words of wisdom for the day.  I hope thay make some
iota
> of since.
>
> Yours,
> Anee
> Webmaster of CPIC
> http://www.geocities.com/aneecp/CPIC.html
>
> In a message dated 11/2/1999 2:38:32 AM Central Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> << Perk and Denise,
>
>  As "beings" are we all or only "states of mind?"  What would have been
>  gained by answering "Yes" or "No?"  Does the straight forward satisfy
more
>  than the indirect?  I wasn't dismissing Perk, merely trying to get out
for
>  the day and leave the thought open for her or, in this case, you to
ponder
>  until my return.
>
>  Trisha a day or two back gave the standard definition about the CP brain
>  injury being static.  In light of recent research there seems little
static
>  about the brain (perhaps too much "static" in human thinking).  Who knows
of
>  any research reassessing Trisha's assumption?  Be there much matter
whether
>  our brain injuries are static or dynamic?  Something accelerates changes
and
>  disruptions throughout our bodies.  For sure that's become evident in our
>  discussions.
>
>  CP Anonymous.  I too had seen myself standing (Hah!  Now I'd be in my
>  wheelchair.) on stage, hands in pockets trying to keep my arms from
flailing
>  saying: "Hi, My name's Steve, and I am a CP Mix (a good sampling of each
>  type, like Planter's Cocktail Mix)."
>
>  After a rousing "Hi, Steve," an absolutely gorgeous woman "manifesting"
>  spastic tri-plegia cerebral palsy stands to say, "you mean 'HAVE'
Cerebral
>  Palsy."  "'BEING' is a state of mind.  Besides.  You're not all and only
>  your disability!"
>
>  Margolis starts to wriggle on the stage, tugging at his pockets,
struggling
>  to get at least one hand out, yet trying to pose as if not struggling.
His
>  face sparkles sweat and dark begins to spread around his arm pits.  He's
>  looking at one "Hot Mamma" and he ain't sure to stand ground or retreat.
>
>  "Well...Have...Am...Semantics," he tries to keep the pleading from his
>  voice.  "Perhaps there's not that much of a distinction?"  "You know:
Like
>  whether you have or are your gender, race, religion, clothes, education,
>  class, money: you fess up, make your labels and parts work, honor  them
and
>  use them."
>
>  "A twenty year old says the other day she thought CP was 'great' and I'm
>  think 'What a difference 38 years makes.'  How can she accept what I
spent
>  so long denying?"
>
>  "I mean if I say I am..."  Here Margolis finally to the relief of many in
>  the crowd, who were beginning to fidget and look around the room, gets
his
>  left hand out of his pants pocket, pulls the pocket inside out and spills
a
>  dozen or so half yellow/blue capsules.  The clatter draws immediate focus
>  from many other directed eyes.  Margolis watches his interlocutor spread
an
>  enigmatic smile, his already jumping left arm flailing faster.
>
>  "If I say I "am" I mean that I take full...responsibility...for my CP,
don't
>  evade, try to free it from negative meaning and feeling so I can live
with
>  the condition more pro-actively, less reactively."  Margolis shoots a
look,
>  hoping he gets at least two points.  She reads a book, bounces to
whatever
>  pulses through the earphones she now wears.
>
>  "Guess that's about all for now."  Margolis turns to leave the stage.  A
>  voice yells "Don't step on your pills!"  Margolis startles, looks down,
>  asks, "Could someone help me pick them up?"
>  The group surges forward to grab pills.  "Hot Mamma" continues to read
and
>  bounce.
>
>  "Down and dirty," Perk.  I am-have-with Cerebral Palsy.  Since a few days
>  after birth.  Wasn't supposed to survive the hemorrhage.  They told my
>  mother, not me, that I might die.  Guess what I didn't know didn't kill
me.
>
>  Perk: Hope I've answered your question.  Denise?
>
>  Steve M.
>   >>
>