I'm a young adult living in San Ramon, California with my parents. My cerebral palsy is dystonic on one side of my body. The therapy and surgeries have helped me a lot over the years and I feel like I can participate in life as an adult. My fiance (Cameron) and I are getting married in November in San Ramon. 

 

I am currently working during the school year as a special education instructor in Dublin, California with children with Autism. Before I worked in the classroom I worked as a behavior therapist. This is my dream job to work with children with special needs. I am might get my special education degrees to become a special education teacher.

 

When I went to San Jose State to get my degrees in Psychology I struggled to get around campus. My fiance Cameron who was my boyfriend at the time, helped me a lot to get through college. He often drove me to school to make sure I had enough energy to attend the classes. The times in school around the finals was particularly hard for me as it forced me to stay home more causing my muscles to get very stiff. Now I have learned to move around outside the house every day to keep up my walking skills.

 

The pain in my muscles is on and off. I have to remember to move to keep the muscles loose. Electrical stimulation or TENS has been great for me. I have my own unit at home and use it when I need it. It provides me with instant relaxation and pain relief.

 

The thing I remember from growing up as a teenager with CP is that it was hard to stay motivated to keep stretching and working out with my therapist. Now I wish I had paid more attentions when I was young so that I could remember all the home stretches my therapist showed me over the years. 

 

My role as a mentor on this website is very exciting to me. I hope to be able to share my experiences with young adults and adolescents like me using the forum. Please post specific questions to the forum if you have any questions about transitioning to adulthood with CP.

 

This summer is jam packed for me as we both prepare for our wedding. Hope to share some pictures after the wedding for you all to see! Stay positive and take each day one at a time. And remember, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it!