Community Q&A: Raenell
Through our Q&A, Raenell was able to share her story, how she got involved with our community, and talk a little bit about the importance of taking care of our mental health alongside our bodies when managing our CP!
Meet Raenell, a young adult in our CP community who is passionate about the importance of maintaining our mental health while managing CP!
Q: What is your CP story?
A: I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth. Two months after I was born. I have Cerebral Palsy hemiplegia, which affects my right side. I have surprised myself and have accomplished a lot of things. I learned how to swim, ride my bike without training wheels. I learned to bake and cook for myself. I read my poetry and my short fiction stories aloud in front of people. I have recently graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, but none of this came easily. I experienced a lot of bullying growing up, and it made me question, Do I even want to go to college?
Q: How has your CP impacted your mental health?
A: Cerebral Palsy has impacted my mental health strongly in the last couple of years. Whenever I would get made fun of, most of the time I would ignore it. I thought being made fun of and getting bullied was supposed to happen to me because I’m disabled. I realized that was not the case. When I entered college, I started to become more anxious. I wasn't able to ignore things and keep moving like I used to when I was younger. I started to worry a lot. I couldn't speak up in classes. I hated doing presentations, and I was always wondering what other people thought. My heart started to palpitate, causing sleepless nights. I develop anxiety. When I got diagnosed at first, I still avoided going to therapy because I thought no one was truly going to understand what I was going through. I avoided therapy for a while until it started to become too much for me to handle.
Q: How important is it for individuals with disabilities to take care of our mental health?
A: It is very important. Individuals with disabilities shouldn't take their mental health for granted. Our mental health is just as important as everyone else's. Probably even more because we are fighting a physical battle as well. Hurting physically and mentally is not going to do us any good. It can be scary, but talking to someone does help.
Q: What are some of your favorite ways to get yourself out of a mental health slump (going outdoors, being active, spending time with friends, etc)?
A: My favorite ways are reading and writing. I like reading because I’m able to go into somebody else's world that they create, and I like writing because I’m also able to create my own world, and create what makes me happy, and there is no right or wrong way to it. I watch TV and funny videos on YouTube as well.
Q: How did you find out about the Cerebral Palsy Strong community?
A: I found out about the Cerebral Palsy Strong community on Instagram.
Q: How has involvement in the Cerebral Palsy Strong community helped your mental health?
A: The Cerebral Palsy Strong community has helped my mental health by making me realize that I’m not alone. There are people like me who share the same emotions I do. We all want one thing, and that is to feel like we belong. To feel loved. To feel wanted.
Thank you, Raenell, for sharing your story and taking the time to remind all of us about the importance of taking care of our mental health! Our goal here at CPstrong is to help give adults in the CP community a space to feel welcome, and remind you all that none of us are alone in this crazy journey called life! Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back soon here on The Disability Download at Cerebral Palsy Strong!
Thanks for reading! Interested in sharing your story or responding to a series of questions about life with cerebral palsy? Learn more below and we’ll get back to you!
