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.
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!
