March marks Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Cerebral Palsy is something I deal with every single day and I felt an obligation to make people aware of what it’s really like.

For those of you not aware, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time. Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements.”

My form of Cerebral Palsy is a mild one. It is most noticeably a limp, balance and coordination issue, stamina issues, general physical strength weakness, slower walking and other physical difficulties.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for CP as of yet, so one of the best pieces of advice I could give for anyone that has any kind of disability is to try your best to not see it as one.

In a bittersweet way, CP has been one of the only constants in my life. It is a beast that I could never tame, but have learned to dance with it as my partner. I’ve gone to physical therapy almost all my life and while I made strides in strength, I’ll always have to continue working.

One of the most challenging parts of a disability is not the tall mountains to climb, but the everyday battles to be fought. People take things for granted. When you don’t have a mental or physical condition of some kind, people don’t consider how a lot of the little things in life are a privilege.

I walk slower than everyone and I feel like a burden at times because I don’t want people to wait for me. I’m used to that now and I never expect people to slow down for me.

I use up a lot of energy to do any physical task because that is how my body compensates. It’s extremely easy for people to knock me down unintentionally or easy for me to stumble and fall. There is always a sense of nervousness with each day because I never want to bump into someone, trip, fall down the stairs, or do anything seen as weak. In fact, since my time as a Coug, I’ve tripped and fallen twice and was patted down by airport security on my weaker leg.

Girls have lots of pressures on them to be the way society says they should be, but guys have those pressures too. One of my biggest insecurities was on the definition of masculinity. Think of all the everyday insecurities people have, their looks, their weight, their intelligence, whatever it may be, then add on a physical or mental disability to it.

As a guy, I want to be strong for other people, I want to partake in physical things, I want to dance with a girl, be able to literally sweep them off their feet, so it was difficult feeling like I could never be man enough for a girl. I want people to see me as Daniel and not the boy with the limp.

Cerebral Palsy is a part of me, but not all of me.

Acceptance can be the hardest part about all of this; acceptance for yourself and acceptance from others. There used to be a point when I didn’t want to tell people about my CP. Nobody likes to feel insecure, “different” or give any reason for someone to judge them, but the only person that can judge you is you.

If you’ve ever had people try to pray away your condition, then I sympathize with you. I know they have good intentions, but let me decide whether I have anything that needs to be “healed” or gotten rid of.

I have found people that love me for me. I used to hesitate accepting or asking help from other people because I never want their pity, only their empathy. I want to prove to people I am strong enough to do things on my own, but I’ve realized there is no shame in asking for help.

It is a warm feeling to know that I have people walking beside me as a true friend and not walking ahead of me and making me feel forgotten. It’s nice having people that catch me when I fall or give me the courage to take that single step.

I’ve learned that everyone has disabilities and blemishes, this is just mine. A tree can have a scar, but that doesn’t mean it can’t branch out and grow into something beautiful. We all have our scars, we just have to meet the people willing to watch you grow and nurture you.

If you meet people in your life that can see past your differences, you know they truly love you. CP for all its struggles has taught me inner strength and granted me the ability to know genuine love. The greatest gift is to love others and be loved back, to be accepted. I have people that now walk my walk with me and that is the best gift I could have.

We all deserve happiness, acceptance and love. Do your best to treat people with compassion and remember that understanding comes from patience and the willingness to listen to someone’s story with an open ear and an open heart.

To anyone with disabilities, remember that the only limitations are the ones you set on yourself. People like us are the ones strong enough to live with the challenges we face. Smiles go for miles so keep on smiling and just keep going.