To the People Who See Beyond My Cerebral Palsy

To the people who see me:

Thank you for looking past my wheelchair and seeing me as a person. Thank you for acknowledging that I’m just a young woman with a heart full of dreams and a great desire to achieve them. Thank you for noticing I’m fully capable of accomplishing many things, but sometimes I need help. Thank you for opening doors for me, for picking up the things my clumsy hands drop, for doing everything you can to make my life easier, even though I tend to avoid asking for help.

Thank you for laughing at my sarcastic, sometimes sinister jokes. Thank you for occasionally listening to me vent about the unfairness of life. Thank you for being a source of encouragement on the days when all I want to do is give up and succumb to societal expectations. Thank you for reminding me that I am more than my cerebral palsy and my physical deficits do not define me. Thank you for being you. I see you, I value you, I appreciate you.