Kirsty Colquhoun is a doctor and Sub Dean of University of Glasgow Medical School. She also has cerebral palsy. At school, Kirsty was discouraged by her guidance teacher when she expressed an interest in becoming a doctor, “He told me, ‘Well I’m colourblind, so I couldn’t become an electrician’ implying I couldn’t be a doctor because I have cerebral palsy.”
Kirsty has gone on to have a successful medical career and is now a consultant in the NHS. Kirsty tells us, “I’m not defined by my disability. I’m not a ‘disabled doctor’. I’m Kirsty the doctor.”
“Often when children with cerebral palsy reach 18 and they are discharged from children’s services, they fall into the abyss. If you are an adult with Parkinson’s or MS, you continue to have access to healthcare physicians who understand your condition and can help you.
With cerebral palsy, there is none of that.
As both someone with cerebral palsy and someone working in the medical field, I can tell you that Cerebral Palsy Scotland bridges the gap for the many adults with cerebral palsy who struggle to access specialist services.”
Please make a donation now to our Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month campaign.