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Category: Blog

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Lights Out at 10: A 41-Year-Old’s Quest for Sleep (and Sanity!)

Tick-tock, tick-tock… goes the clock, reminding me yet again that it’s well past midnight and my eyelids are doing the dance of exhaustion. As a 41-year-old living with cerebral palsy, let’s just say my sleep schedule has become a distant memory. But enough is enough! I’m embarking on a mission to reclaim my nights, and you’re invited to join me on the journey!

Starting tonight, February 25th, 2024, I’m declaring war on late nights. My new battle cry? Lights out by 10:00 p.m., no exceptions. This might seem drastic, but let’s be honest, my current sleep habits are about as healthy as a three-day-old pizza. It’s time to trade the late-night scrolling for some much-needed shut-eye.

But this isn’t just about catching some Zzz’s (although those are definitely important!). I’m on a quest to uncover the true benefits of a consistent sleep schedule. Will I finally have the energy to tackle my daily activities with renewed focus? Will my brain function at peak capacity, allowing me to manage my life with newfound clarity? Will I, dare I dream, wake up feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day?

I plan to document this experiment in weekly blog posts. I’ll be sharing my struggles and triumphs, the good, the bad, and the (hopefully) well-rested. I want to be transparent about the challenges, the occasional slip-ups, and of course, the amazing benefits (if any!) that come with finally prioritizing sleep.

So, are you ready to witness the transformation of a sleep-deprived 41-year-old into a (hopefully) rejuvenated and energized version? Tune in next week for the first update, and let’s see where this journey takes us! Remember, even small changes can make a big difference, and I’m hoping this experiment inspires others to prioritize their own sleep health.

Sweet dreams (and stay tuned)!

Steve 41 with cerebral palsy
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World Cerebral Palsy Day! (Oct 6th)

Steve-38yearold-Cerebral-Palsy

I am 38 years old with Cerebral Palsy since birth and was born three months premature. there were two contributing factors that resulted in me having CP. 1. A lack of oxygen due to underdeveloped lungs, I spent nine weeks in an incubator because I stopped breathing multiple times. The second factor was trauma to the head caused by being pulled out with forceps.

Happy World Cerebral Palsy Day! (Oct 6th)

Taken from BC Cerebral Palsy Website.
World Cerebral Palsy Day is a global movement of people with Cerebral Palsy and their families, and the organizations that support them, in more than 60 countries. The day is an opportunity to celebrate, raise awareness, and take action to ensure that people with CP have the same rights, access, and opportunity as anyone else in their communities.

According to the CDC website.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles.

So what does this mean?

The short answer is: Having Cerebral Palsy sucks!
Understandably that’s not the point of world Cerebral Palsy day. The day exists to raise awareness and raise money for things that help research and whatnot. As well as a fight for equal rights and access for those with CP.

I feel like it has to be said as an individual that lives with and “deals with “ Cerebral Palsy on a regular basis, IT PLAIN SUCKS!

  • I deal with pain daily basis.
  • Accessibility issues.
  • Employment/job application struggles and accommodations within that job.
  • People asking me dumb questions.
  • I deal with prejudice

….and so on!

However, for every struggle many things that make me grateful for all the struggles that I have been through.

  • I have developed a critical thinking/solution-based mind that allows me to navigate life and its problems with a completely different lens.
  • Growing up in a wheelchair forced me.to develop my verbal communication skills at a young age. I had to be able to ask for what I needed and be able to express myself in a way that gave me the support I needed throughout my day.
  • It forced me to develop multiple skills in order to compete in the job market.
  • Having CP taught to deal with regret at an early age which allowed me to get used to it.
  • Not to mention all that rejection, Wowza did it make me stronger.

Here a link to learn more Steve.

Here’s the final truth even though I can find the positives with Cerebral Palsy all the struggles are continuous. As I get older they seem to be more and more.

This doesn’t mean that I give up, it means I keep pushing forward ( pun intended).  One thing that I  can guarantee you one thing I am not as happy in my life I appear to be to the outside world both in person and on social media. 

I have to ask myself does that really have anything to do with Cerebral Palsy at all or is that the plight of being a human being?