Elyssa Olson’s hand shakes as she takes notes in Beginning Journalism, however she is determined to finish writing. Although her hand begins to ache, a grin appears on her face as she finishes the last word.
This is one of many moments when Olson, 16, born with cerebral palsy, has had a challenge yet stayed strong and finished the problem. Now, as a sophomore, she can look back on achievements such as writing a neighborhood newspaper, winning the Rachel H. Austin Prize for achievements in math, and traveling to places such as Spain with the support of her family and friends.
“Cerebral palsy,” Olson said, “is a brain condition that has a different outcome for every single person. So if you’ve met someone who has it, don’t judge the next person by the person you met before. Everyone is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. It really bothers me when the media talks about the victims as a whole. Each and every one of us is completely different. Cerebral palsy has one of the most diverse symptoms of any disease.”
Cerebral palsy can occur during pregnancy, during stages of birth, or when one is an infant. It affects parts of the brain that in turn, affect one’s muscle or movement coordination, according to United Cerebral Palsy, a Web site dedicated to the disease.
Olson embraces her disease with a positive attitude. “I love it [Cerebral Palsy]. It has given me chances that no one else gets to have. I have gotten to know countless of truly amazing people through having this [condition] that most people never get to know. All of my aides over the nine to ten years I have been at school, I owe so much to all of them. Everyone at therapy, who either worked with me or my friends that were beside me. Those guys are wonderful and I love all of them.”
However, the reality is not always positive. Cerebral Palsy comes with pains that can be hard to deal with.
“First of all, most people ask me- ‘How does it feel to have cerebral palsy?’ and ‘Does it hurt?’” Olson said, “My answer is, I don’t really know. I have had it [cerebral palsy] since I was born…so I don’t know if it hurts. I know when I handwrite it hurts. When I write or type my arms get tight as well…When I fall, yeah, it hurts, but I have no choice but to get back up again.”
Handwriting can be a challenge with Olson because the disease affects one’s muscles, and in turn, tasks such as writing can become difficult.
“There are always hard parts and problems to deal with,” Olson said. “Imagine not being able to write. At a club meeting you can’t write your name on the ‘sign in’ sheet, things like that. The hardest thing to deal with is not being able to write down what you want, having aides follow you from class to class. That can sometimes be annoying. People sometimes think I am stupid for not being able to write or talking weird I am telling you, there is nothing worse than that.”
Sometimes, it is not the actual disease that Olson has trouble with, but the people around her.
“People that don’t understand, don’t want to understand. Everything takes more time [for me]. I go into English class and we had to write an essay. It takes them [the other students] an hour to type something up. It takes me two times or three times that amount of time. Speech is a difficult thing to deal with if people don’t understand, but that, like everything else has improved. There’s nothing else you can do but just deal. You have to let things go. There are people in a much worse situation than I am.”
Olson also tries to have a positive outlook on the people around her, even if they do not understand. However, conflicts can become stressful.
“How do I deal?” Olson said, “[I] look for the good in people. If people don’t understand or are too childish to want to understand they just are misinformed. I just go on. I am not perfect and things can bother me, I can get very frustrated, but that’s life. Most problems that come up are old problems that I know how to deal with and have solved before.”
Overall, Olson just lets people respond naturally to her brain disorder.
“With most people, I just don’t tell them what’s going on. I let them react to anything the way they would react. It is my secret way of getting to know people. Even people that know I have it [cerebral palsy] don’t really talk about it. There are more important things to talk about, [for example] school, movies, music, boys. It’s the people who want to get to know me and the people I have talked to more than once … those are the people I hold close to my heart.”
In the end, Olson is a cheerful teenage girl. “I enjoy playing soccer, listening to rock music, film making, being with friends that I don’t see everyday, [and] e-mailing family and friends,” Olson said.
Having cerebral palsy can be a challenge at times, but Olson is confident about life and the conflicts that she faces.
“For me, there are always good days and bad days. I have a very mild [form of] cerebral palsy, and you can see me in the hall and not notice anything at all. My speech is a little bit off and this can sometimes be frustrating, but it’s amazing to me how open people are. Most people really want to understand what I am saying. My long time friends … have just adjusted to [my] voice. They don’t notice it at all.”
And if she needs help with the problems she faces, there is always the support of her loved ones.
“I have a great and amazingly supportive group of friends and teachers and family,” Olson said, “With that alone, I can get through anything.”