I do speeches on living
with Aspergers from time to time and I want to get into it again. So
here is my life story on living with Aspergers. Please pass this on.
Growing up was like a roller coaster ride for me, full of many ups and downs which were very difficult for me to understand. I had struggles not only in my childhood but in my teen years as well. I had a very difficult time in both elementary and high school. I was struggling to be accepted and fit in with other kids but all I got was bullied and abused both mentally and emotionally. I never had a chance to go school dances or the prom. I never went to my graduation because of all the pain that I have endured. I moved from Burlington to Hamilton in 1993 to start my life over again and move into a place called Woodview Manor which was recommend the person who saved my life. A man named Dr. Peter Szatmari and also a man named Rick Ludkin. I was scared at first because my self-esteem was low and my attitude was negative. I was taught how to be strong and live independently like other people. I started to make new friends and gain some new confidence. I now go to the YWCA for my workouts. I do yoga three times a week to learn how to calm the mind and deal with stresses in my life. I also spin cycle, lift weights and volunteer there at least a few times a month. I met some wonderful instructors and met some nice people that workout there. I'm currently working as a receptionist at The Lawson Ministries Autism Centre. It's a great job but it has some struggles and challenges in which I learn every single day. The people there are really understanding of me and they help me out as much as they can. I live my life like everybody else. I go to work, I live in my own apartment, I cook, I bake, I clean, I run errands, I go to concerts and other events, I go to the movies and I travel to places like Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto which is my favorite city to go to and shopping in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y. My favorite band is Rush. I find that this band are the most respectable group of men not only with talent but they are like family. Brothers to be saying at least. I feel like my life is like Neil Peart who lost his wife and daughter within 10 months of each other and he went on this journey on his motorcycle to start his healing. I feel like I have Neil Peart's Personality except that I don't play the drums but I wouldn't mind trying. I find that Rush makes me grow stronger and the lyrics keep me going even if I'm having a bad day. I have all their albums and DVD's, plus some pictures and three of Neil's books. I even saw them in concert 5 times and I even went to RushCon. I wished I went to more Rush concerts outside of where I live but it gets pretty expensive. I want to go to more conferences and more places because I want to learn. I want to be involved, and mostly I want to be accepted. Anybody with aspergers, autism, any other type of disability even the "normal" people should all be accepted, join together and welcomed into the world with open arms and not isolated from the universe. I accept all my friends. We stick together like Rush. I have Aspergers and I was born that way. If there was a cure for autism, I wouldn't want it because that wouldn't be real. We are all different and we should be happy with the way we were born. Let us all join hands and raise our hearts to Autism Awareness.
Growing up was like a roller coaster ride for me, full of many ups and downs which were very difficult for me to understand. I had struggles not only in my childhood but in my teen years as well. I had a very difficult time in both elementary and high school. I was struggling to be accepted and fit in with other kids but all I got was bullied and abused both mentally and emotionally. I never had a chance to go school dances or the prom. I never went to my graduation because of all the pain that I have endured. I moved from Burlington to Hamilton in 1993 to start my life over again and move into a place called Woodview Manor which was recommend the person who saved my life. A man named Dr. Peter Szatmari and also a man named Rick Ludkin. I was scared at first because my self-esteem was low and my attitude was negative. I was taught how to be strong and live independently like other people. I started to make new friends and gain some new confidence. I now go to the YWCA for my workouts. I do yoga three times a week to learn how to calm the mind and deal with stresses in my life. I also spin cycle, lift weights and volunteer there at least a few times a month. I met some wonderful instructors and met some nice people that workout there. I'm currently working as a receptionist at The Lawson Ministries Autism Centre. It's a great job but it has some struggles and challenges in which I learn every single day. The people there are really understanding of me and they help me out as much as they can. I live my life like everybody else. I go to work, I live in my own apartment, I cook, I bake, I clean, I run errands, I go to concerts and other events, I go to the movies and I travel to places like Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto which is my favorite city to go to and shopping in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y. My favorite band is Rush. I find that this band are the most respectable group of men not only with talent but they are like family. Brothers to be saying at least. I feel like my life is like Neil Peart who lost his wife and daughter within 10 months of each other and he went on this journey on his motorcycle to start his healing. I feel like I have Neil Peart's Personality except that I don't play the drums but I wouldn't mind trying. I find that Rush makes me grow stronger and the lyrics keep me going even if I'm having a bad day. I have all their albums and DVD's, plus some pictures and three of Neil's books. I even saw them in concert 5 times and I even went to RushCon. I wished I went to more Rush concerts outside of where I live but it gets pretty expensive. I want to go to more conferences and more places because I want to learn. I want to be involved, and mostly I want to be accepted. Anybody with aspergers, autism, any other type of disability even the "normal" people should all be accepted, join together and welcomed into the world with open arms and not isolated from the universe. I accept all my friends. We stick together like Rush. I have Aspergers and I was born that way. If there was a cure for autism, I wouldn't want it because that wouldn't be real. We are all different and we should be happy with the way we were born. Let us all join hands and raise our hearts to Autism Awareness.
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