May 28, 2019 The Weight of Being “Strong” — A Decade into the Fight

Unseen grief. Nerve pain. Autonomic dysreflexia. A decade later and the word “strong” still feels heavy.

I’ve been heard, but not always helped.

People see the chair, the drive, the humor — but rarely the quiet nights when your body feels foreign, when you’d trade every ounce of applause just to move your hand the way your mind remembers.

Being “strong” isn’t about bravery. It’s about showing up when no one else can carry what’s inside of you.

It’s about learning to live in a world built for speed while you move at the pace of patience.

And yet… there’s stubborn hope here.

Hope that honesty still has value in a world addicted to performance.

Hope that by telling my truth, someone else might feel a little less invisible.