To My Teenaged Self Who Felt Like a 'Weirdo' for Having Cerebral Palsy
Dear Younger Molly,
I’m writing this letter to a beautiful teenage girl who needs to know her worth is far greater than she could ever imagine. Molly, I know being a teenager sucks, and I know very well the pain you have battled from within your soul because you haven’t yet accepted that you are “different.” You feel as though cerebral palsy makes you a “weirdo,” or at least that’s what those who have bullied you for many years have made you believe. I’m so happy to be able to let you know that your life will get sweeter eventually.
I want to emphasize two things about you that desperately need to be corrected: First of all, those who think they know you really don’t have the slightest clue, and their opinion doesn’t matter. Secondly, you have a tendency to want to please and impress others; you need to stop that, because there will be people who will always reject you, but you have friends who will always love and care for you. Learn to live to make yourself happy.
Your love of school and learning will only continue to grow; you will finish college with honors, while making several loving friends along the way. The four years that you spend in college will be one heck of a roller coaster ride; you will make mistakes, but you will also learn a lot. Determination is a quality that will help you soar in the future; it will help you to overcome the identity crisis and the depression that you have battled with for so long, and for that I’m so proud of you. Molly, you are such a fighter and you don’t even know it; I realize it’s hard to see past the limiting labels you’ve been given. You are smart, talented and beautiful; don’t let the hurtful words of others get to you.
A change in the world is needed, and I have faith you could be the voice of so many who are struggling, simply by expressing yourself through your writing. You have such a sparkling personality, and even though it may take you a while to find your place in the world, when you do you will! Chase your dreams and embrace the people who love you, and forget those who don’t. Please don’t be anything more or less than what you are. You will make it! I promise! Keep going, because you are in the position to possibly change someone’s life. I hope one day you will be able to see that your disability is not a disability at all; instead it is a chance to take a stand and advocate for acceptance of those who have been labeled “different.” I can’t wait to see everything unfold.
The Mighty is asking the following: Write a letter to your teenaged self when you were struggling to accept your differences. If you’d like to participate, please send a blog post to community@themighty.com. Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.
Molly Spence is a blogger/aspiring writer who happens to have mild cerebral palsy. Her number one goal in life is to be an advocate for those who are struggling to come to terms with their differences. She is a proud West Virginia native who loves life and lives it to the fullest. Molly believes a change is needed in society and she will make that happen one day.
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