Cerebral Palsy Scotland volunteer Marion shares her personal reasons for supporting World Cerebral Palsy Day on 6 October.
Hello everyone. As we are coming up to World Cerebral Palsy Day 2021, I thought I would write a blog about why I think World CP Day is important for me.
This year, World Cerebral Palsy Day’s theme is “Millions of Reasons”, so what are my reasons to celebrate the day?
To raise awareness
It is very important for me to feel like cerebral palsy is recognised world-wide as a disability which affects so many people in different ways. For me, especially lately, when I feel lonely, I often wonder if there is enough knowledge about cerebral palsy out there.
It will also be helpful for me to link up with other people with cerebral palsy at the Cerebral Palsy Scotland online conference, especially this year due to the pandemic and the lockdowns, as we have not been meeting up with many people with cerebral palsy to share ideas.
To drive a sense of community, and to reflect
World CP Day also makes you feel you are not alone dealing with the everyday challenges of having cerebral palsy. For me, this will be the most important issue of the day.
It’s also a chance for us all to think about our bodies, and how the last year affected you physically, due to not getting enough physio or even activities like swimming or going to the gym.
To celebrate achievements
World CP Day is a time to remember that, even with cerebral palsy, I have done so much. For example, working as a volunteer advocacy worker, volunteering at Cerebral Palsy Scotland, and being employed as a blogger. I’m also a wheelchair dancer and have attended wheelchair dance competitions in Blackpool. Plus, I was even brave enough to go on a zipwire at Calvert Trust, Kielder! These activities must be celebrated.
World CP Day is also a time to celebrate how far Cerebral Palsy Scotland has come over the years in developing their Adult Services, and I don’t just mean physio, speech and language therapy and OT, but all the other services they have provided for me, including help with mental health. Throughout the lockdown period they offered a weekly zoom session where you could talk to other people about relevant topics. And for people with communication aids, there is an AAC group where I had so much fun using my talker, especially one Christmas time, with the help of the speech therapist as we made up a song using our talkers.
What are your reasons for supporting World CP Day?
I hope you will all be able to celebrate World Cerebral Palsy Day in your own way and I’m sure you will have many personal reasons to celebrate the day. HAPPY WORLD CP DAY WHEN IT COMES!