As a younger kid, I always dreamed of going to sleep away camp. My elementary and middle school summer vacations consisted mostly of sitting at home, not doing much. My friends were never available to hang out, or, as I may have said in elementary school, have “play dates”…

Throughout this past year, as COVID has begun to slow down, I have gotten very involved in a variety of different dance projects and performances. Last summer, I participated in a choreographed music video with Born Dancing to a cover of “Run” by Josh Groban and Sarah McLachlan…

One song that really resonates with me is, “I Lived” by OneRepublic. I have many challenges in my life like the fact that I need a ventilator to breathe, and a wheelchair to get around. Many people may see this as a barrier, which in some ways, it can be, but in so many ways, it is not. People assume that I don't live a good life…

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to check out one of the newest attractions in New York City, Little Island. We went there not really sure what to expect, but we brought some food in hopes that there would be somewhere to sit down and eat. Reservations weren’t required from 6:00am to 12:00pm, so we went…

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in a week-long virtual film camp as a way to explore all that I can do with using iMovie to create short films! We would either start or continue a project each day, and it definitely kept me busy! Our first assignment was to take a bunch of different photos that represents a topic/idea or…

While New York City is accessible in many ways, there are some areas where people like me are extremely limited, a big one being the subway trains and stations. The subway is probably the greatest source of transportation for New Yorkers. It is quick and overall just an efficient way to get around the city…

New York City is known as the “city that never sleeps.” And, in fact, it never does. New York City is always full with busy streets of people shopping, dining, sightseeing, and so much more. There are countless things to do from seeing Broadway musicals to going to the top of The Empire State Building…

Every thanksgiving my Nana and Poppop come to visit. With the virus, we will be unable to see each other this year. I am beyond thankful for my health and safety throughout this virus, but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard for me sometimes with all of the precautions I need to take because…

I‌ ‌am‌ ‌often‌ ‌considered‌ ‌“different.”‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌not‌ ‌your‌ ‌typical‌ ‌twelve-year-old‌ ‌girl.‌ ‌I‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌many kids‌ ‌my‌ ‌age‌ ‌like‌ ‌me.‌ ‌At‌ ‌my‌ ‌current‌ ‌school,‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌the‌ ‌only‌ ‌kid‌ ‌who‌ ‌uses‌ ‌a‌ ‌wheelchair.‌ ‌But‌ ‌it‌ ‌hasn’t‌ ‌always‌ ‌been‌ ‌like‌ ‌this.‌ ‌I‌ ‌went‌ ‌to‌ ‌a‌ ‌preschool‌ ‌where‌ ‌all‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌kids‌ ‌had some‌ ‌sort‌ ‌of‌ disability‌ ‌and‌ ‌about‌ ‌20%‌ ‌of‌ ‌kids‌…

On Monday, September 25th, I started remote learning. Students at New York City public schools had the choice between blended learning and 100% remote. Blended learning means that you go to school in-person 1-2 times a week, and the rest of the week, you are remote. As you might’ve guessed from the title, my family…

It has been about 7 and a half weeks since my spinal fusion. If you have read my previous blogs, you know that my recovery was rough, really rough, but I am doing much, much better now and am even typing this blog myself. As you may already know, a big part of the result of my surgery was nerve damage. This impacted…

It has been 22 days since my spinal fusion. My back pain is very stable and doesn’t hurt much at all. However, my nerve pain? Well, that’s a completely different story. But before I catch you up to speed on that, here’s an overview of the past two weeks. On Tuesday, August 11th, I went to see my plastic surgeon…

Yesterday, I was discharged from the hospital. Even though I have a long recovery ahead of me, I already feel better at home. Before I share more about being home, I want to tell you about my last few days of recovery. My last couple of days at the hospital were better. I was able…

It is currently pretty late at night and I am trying to focus on something other than my pain. My momma is going to type for me until I am able to do it for myself. This will probably be well after I am home. I had my surgery on Tuesday, July 28th. I had to get to the hospital at 6:30am. I went into the operating room about 8am…

On Tuesday, July 28th, I am having a spinal fusion. Because my muscles are weak, as I was growing up, they didn’t support my spine growth, so my back grew crooked. At five years old, I got veptr rods put in my back to correct my scoliosis. When I had the veptr rods, I had to go in to surgery every 6 months…

Sometimes things can be harder for me, so my family, OTs/PTs, and I find ways to make adjustments or think of hacks so that I am able to do these things! Continue reading to learn about several of these adjustments/hacks that make things easier for me and/or help me be more independent! In my room…

Having a skilled companion dog has been life-changing for me. Midas, my skilled companion dog is from a wonderful organization called Canine Companions for Independence. Midas first went to a puppy raiser for 18 months, where he learned basic commands like sit, shake, and speak. Then, Midas went to…

When I was in 5th grade, one of our assignments was to write a memoir. A memoir is a piece that showcases a significant moment or memory that occurred in your life. I chose to write about a day where I felt excluded, stressed, upset, and countless other emotions. Lunch. Lunch time can be one…

For most people, quarantine sucks. For most people, it’s probably the last thing they want to be doing right now. But for some people, like me, quarantine is NOT the worst thing in the world, and it actually has some perks. Being a teenage city girl with a disability definitely has its challenges. Definitely. I…

Even though I have some challenges in life, I always look for different ways to push myself and make the most of every day. I am very thankful to have had so many amazing opportunities. I always look for the ability in my disability. Check out my video below, which showcases many of my special…