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brightrosefoxI have been asked by neighbors and coworkers about why I limp and walk funny and carry my left arm the way I do. I will launch into my shortest easiest explanation of cerebral palsy and then of spastic ataxic hemiplegia. They wonder about my feet and my shoes -- do I always walk on my toes, can I wear flats, what is the highest heel I can wear. Something that bothers me is that some people will say things like, "Oh, you can walk and move just like everyone else, you just have to try harder and get over your problem." At this point, I smile like a shark and politely end the conversation. I have had suggestions that "You should wear really high heels to help your balance" after I have explained that between the CP, the muscle tension, the tight tendons, and the keloid scars on my ankles, walking in any heel higher than three inches causes intense, sobbing pain, and walking for too long causes my ankles to become inflamed, the nerves flaring viciously. Why can't I run or jog? Why can't I stand still for too long? What the hell is my problem? Other people with "your disability" can do things just fine, I am told. I should push past it.
Sometimes I would like to take them and brand their ankles and stretch their Achilles tendons to the point of snapping and give them bad knees and a left foot that twists outward to the bone, and muscles that spasm and tense without warning, and then put them in a pair of heeled pumps or flats -- no ankle support -- and send them walking two miles uphill and then dancing in a nightclub.
People wonder why I only wear boots low to mid heel, why I don't wear flats or sneakers and why I will never, ever wear high heels. It hurts. That's all. I deal with it. Please leave me alone now. Thank you.
Sometimes I would like to take them and brand their ankles and stretch their Achilles tendons to the point of snapping and give them bad knees and a left foot that twists outward to the bone, and muscles that spasm and tense without warning, and then put them in a pair of heeled pumps or flats -- no ankle support -- and send them walking two miles uphill and then dancing in a nightclub.
People wonder why I only wear boots low to mid heel, why I don't wear flats or sneakers and why I will never, ever wear high heels. It hurts. That's all. I deal with it. Please leave me alone now. Thank you.
