Teen Cerebral Palsy

Hi! I hope everyone has had a nice weekend. Today, I am attempting to do the bulk of my college applications – THE ESSAYS! I’ve already written my statements for the UC  Schools, I am not sure which ones in particular I am applying to, but since one of them is TeenCP based, I thought I’d share it with you! They’re here for you to just read, not read, or you can even comment on them, whatever you please!

Katy Fetters

07/16/1992

Personal Statement

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution, or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

I have Cerebral Palsy (CP). However, I choose not to characterize myself as someone with a physical disability because I feel like the term “disability” creates an unwanted stigma that causes my actual abilities to be underestimated. When I tell people I have a physical disability, I tend to receive pity. That reaction makes me feel terribly misunderstood. “Why do people feel bad for me, when I can still do everything they can do?” I think. I never regarded myself as any different from others until I saw their negative reaction. That is why I made it my mission to show my peers that I am just a normal teenager like anyone else. I wanted to explain that I have the ability to see life in a whole new, enlightening perspective. But more importantly, I was curious, I knew that there were others just like me, if only there was a way to reach out to them.

It was July of 2009, that I called up my good friend who is very “computer-savvy,” and told him about my own desire to find others like me who refuse to let CP be a limitation. I created www.teencerebralpalsy.com, or now better known as TeenCP, which is a public forum centered around the idea that I wanted to reach out to other teens who just want to talk about dealing with CP in today’s world. I had so many questions, so many experiences to talk about, and I needed a forum for both. TeenCP is that forum.

To this day, I write posts about anything CP related, or sometimes I write if I am feeling down about myself to get some reassurance that others are going through the exact same thing I am. It has become an extremely successful entity in itself, and a very well-known go-to website for those in the “disability community.” My transition from high school to college might gain the awareness of an older group of people with CP and disabilities alike. Future plans for this website lies in the readers and teens who want to see it move forth! My heart is set on a possible foundation or charity dedicated to youth support groups for peoples with disabilities.

Everyday I am proud of my website because I feel so at ease when I know that I started a place where those who are struggling to accept their CP can come discuss, ask questions, or vent any problems that correlate to growing up with CP. I have mothers of children with CP who email me, telling me how much of a comfort it is to read about who I am, and that they wish that their child will grow up to be just like me. To know that I am a role model for so many people out there is the best reward I can receive for creating my website. Although I have been fortunate to have received public recognition and even a few awards relating to the website, the most important thing, to me, is that TeenCP is a place of help, of motivation, and encouragement for anyone who feels that living with Cerebral Palsy, is living with a disability.

Katy Fetters

07/16/1992

Personal Statement

Describe the world you come from- for example, your family, community, or school- and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.

My world thrives off of my relationship with my family. Without the nurture and support of my family, my world would be non-existent; I would be nonexistent. We have taught each other how to live and how to grow as individuals. I aspire to carry on the same representation that my parents uphold in our suburban community. Not just as personal gym owners or “crazy fitness people,” but as strong, altruistic individuals who choose to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I have realized, only recently, how much I truly benefit from growing up in this environment. I guarantee you, that I can tell you everything you need to know about how to maintain a balanced diet, and create a personalized work out regime. But that is beside the point. The point is that I know what it means to be healthy; I know how it feels to be healthy, and how it feels to surpass a goal that I set for myself. Growing up, I was never really taught how to be “healthy;” it just came naturally–through pure osmosis of being in the gym and listening to my parents advocate their profession. I am a firm believer that being aware of my health and fitness is the right way to live, this awareness is how I am going to be happy for the rest of my life. Working out and eating a balanced diet is all about choice, and everyday I strive to make a conscious choice to do what feels right for my body. I am able to handle stress better because I know how to listen to my body, while still allowing myself to release stress by going for a long bike ride along the coast or for an adventurous hike in a nearby canyon. I find it even more essential to my future that I have understood how to hold myself accountable for my actions. “If I eat poorly one day, then I’ll run an extra mile the next.” This logic has allowed me to feel much more at balance with myself, because I know that I’ll always feel secure in maintaining a healthy way of life. A way of life, in which can be applied to my academic studies as well. I have learned to be a focused and disciplined student simply because I was raised in such a way that helps me prioritize my studies to produce the best quality of work possible.

I do not aspire to be a personal trainer like my parents, or even carry on the family business, but I do aspire to lead a lifestyle where I can discover my potential as a human being. To continuously challenge myself, not only in the physical sense, but in my future as a student, as a writer, and as a young woman.

 -Katy