The story of Linda
You are not strong enough to withstand the storm they whispered…
I’m 47 years old and I live in Ottawa. I am medically retired – that just means there is a medical reason for a 47 year old to be retired. I am French-Canadian and I have Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP). My SPG7 is affected and the genetic mutation is recessive. Although I was born with this condition, I only started noticing issues around 29/ 30 years of age. I sought the help of a neurologist and also of a geneticist. Long story short, I have been dealing with this for 17 years… but I adapted. I have terrible issues with my balance. I fall very, very frequently and am very wobbly and I stumble all the time. I walk with a walker – but I walk. I cycle with a recumbent tadpole tricycle – but I ride. I also have serious bladder issues and custom orthotics. However, with the guidance of my physiotherapist and my doctors, I gained somewhat of an understanding of how my body works. Regardless, it’s a challenge and I endure stiffness, pain and inflammation all the time. I’m not 100% successful in keeping pain out of my life but I do very well. As for the mental part of living with HSP – I volunteer A LOT. Volunteering keeps my mind sharp, makes me feel good about myself, keeps my mind busy so I don’t dwell on the problems in my life and keeps me in control of my time – I don’t owe anything to anybody AND if I need time for appointments/ therapy, I don’t need permission…
The point is that I do pretty well for myself. Life threw me curveball after curveball but I managed, I even thrived.
So (read the first line again) …she whispered back: “I am the storm”.