Just a quick update. Am in Palo Alto, California, now. This is where Stripe, my brothers’ startup is based, so my parents and me are visiting them for a few days. As much as I loved New York City, I’m glad to get out of the 35°C weather. As an experiment, I’ve decided to stop [...]
You know, I don’t think those four words have ever appeared on the blog here before. I talk about surgeries, canes, physios and whatever else, but I don’t think I’ve discussed the underlying thread, Cerebral Palsy, much before. To start, I have a moderate form of Cerebral Palsy, a brain disorder affecting muscles in the [...]
An area of interest in Cerebral Palsy is how doctors, parents and the patient themselves all have a different view on how the disability presents itself. A doctor is concerned about a muscle’s range of motion — that the norm is, say, 125 degrees of flexion, and the patient only manages 115 degrees. An extra [...]
Alternatively titled: “1,100 words on why the Amazon Kindle is freaking amazing” I’ve had my Amazon Kindle a couple of days now and I can honestly say that the move from book to eBook is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The Screen The first that I noticed about the Kindle as I [...]
The thing about Cerebral Palsy (CP) is that it’s limiting. You have to watch what you do and how you do it. It’s something that you have to stay on top or it because it’s a slippery slope if you develop bad habits with the way you sit or something equally mundane. On the whole, [...]
I’m going into hospital on Tuesday for surgery on my leg to try and minimize the effects of Cerebral Palsy on me. That’ll involve 4 nights in hospital and a further 6 weeks recuperation involving physio sessions and reclining wheelchairs. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out of the latter quickly because they’re the bane [...]
This came in the post recently: an Irish Rail disability travel-card. Once over 16 (as I became last June), one can apply for the card that entitles the user and one companion to free rail travel on all Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and LUAS journeys. Having clocked up 20 hours on the train this week [...]
I’ve often been talking to people who’ve been talking to me about their problems and don’t think they’re able to change some aspect of themselves. I’ve been sympathetic but lately I can’t help thinking that humans by their nature seem to be very quick to write off things as ‘something you just can’t change about [...]
The cast is off. Admittedly I should be wearing it for another two days but for a couple of reasons, I’m not. A few weeks ago, we spotted specks of blood on the cast. We hastily removed the cast with a scissors and fixed the problem (cast was rubbing the skin off my kneecap so [...]
Tomorrow’s the last day of me being in a wheelchair for school. The cast comes off on April 1st and I break for Easter holidays so it’s all good! Seriously looking forward to these holidays. Despite the slightly worrying knowledge that there’s only about 8 weeks to summer, I really am looking forward to these [...]