JULY 24 EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Disability.

What immediately comes to your mind when you see or hear that word? A wheelchair? Someone who is bedridden? Maybe blind? Or deaf? What about an amputee? Surely they are disabled.

What about me? I am a stay at home mom. I have a very active almost 4 year old son. Just a quick glance at me and you would think I was pretty normal. I’ve been married for almost 10 years to an amazing man.

I can drive.

I can see.

I can hear.

Yet I am “disabled.”

I looked up disability in my Synonym Finder (next to the Bible, my favorite book on the planet). Read these words, and tell me what images they convey. Incapacity. Unfitness. Impotence. Helplessness. Powerlessness.

Well, I say powerless no more! As many of you know who follow my blog, I have a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. It is rare. I may look completely normal to many people, except I do have a trach.

I can go to a store, be just fine walking in, and on the way out, need to use a cane. I’m not yet 40 years old.

I have frequent double vision, so sometimes I have to wear an eye patch…either that or go around winking at the whole world. The eye strain causes terrible headaches and exhaustion.
I am unable to work outside my home.

I live on a small farm and have 3 dogs and a child I am 100% responsible for when my husband is at work (and 75% responsible for when he’s home, but that IS getting better!), so I very definitely work at home. I am technically disabled. I worked my whole life up until I got sick, so I receive disability. I am fortunate that I can contribute to my family income.

But you know what? I. AM. NOT. POWERLESS.

Did you get that? Just want to make sure. I am NOT powerless. I am NOT helpless. I don’t want pity, and I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. I need you to understand. I need you to work with me. I need you to encourage me with the things you see me doing that I am good at.

I don’t need a lecture. Sometimes I just need someone to listen to me vent my frustrations when my body is betraying me yet again. I am the same person in my mind and in my heart that I have always been. My brain can’t seem to comprehend that my body isn’t cooperating!
And I’m glad. I will never completely accept this damn disease. I will fight it tooth and nail till the day I die. Will I take care of myself? Of course. Will I get my necessary medical treatments and take my medications? Surely.

But I will not lie down and let this disease claim my life! It has taken enough from me, and it will get no more. It will NOT get my laughter. It can NOT claim my sanity. It will NEVER steal my compassion. It can NOT abduct my faith. And I will NEVER give up HOPE.

Please check out the button on the very top of the right hand column of my blog. It will send you to a website called Bloggers Unite. Today we unite for the disabled. Today we take back our power. And you can make a difference. Please go to www.bloggersunite.org

Empowering People With Disabilities

For some reason I've always had an issue with the word "empower." Somehow it has a negative connotation for me. As if we are assuming that the whom or what we are trying to "empower" has no power at all to begin with. I guess that's neither here nor there.

What I want to tell you about is the button on the top of my blog. Blogger Unite: This week is to empower people with disabilities. Bring attention to them. Bring the issue to the forefront. Clicking on the button will take you to the bloogersunite website. It's pretty cool.

This issue is close to my heart for obvious reasons. I consider myself disabled in certain ways, I suppose, (But I'm not one of these "I'm not handicapped, I'm handi-capable!...if you are, good for you.) I can't work. I would be hard pressed to live alone with or without my son. Ha. Try getting my son away from me....Ain't happenin'! But my brain and my heart are the same, and I lie to be treated with dignity and respect, not pity. Compassion is fine. Sympathy is not.

But there are many ways in which I don't FEEL disabled. I can still be a wife and mom. Maybe not to the extent someone else can be, but is that a disability? I can still use my mind, thank the Lord. I still have a heart of compassion for people, even more so since being sick. There is SO MUCH MORE to people with disabilities than their disability! We are NOT our illnesses!

So if you could, hop on over to the bloggersunite site by clicking the button on the top right of my blog. I found this organization when they were asking people to donate and blog for Haiti after that horrible earthquake. There are many good things they do, and one is sure to strike a chord in you.

So this Saturday, please check back for my post about empowering people with disabilities. I'm sure there will be many, many more folks doing this...maybe even you!

Now it's off to run errands, hopefully before it hits 90 degrees and 90 % humidity...again. Thankfully Joanna is going with me a little later in case I crash (from the MG, NOT the car!)
Be blessed today, guys. Thanks for reading.