I leaned against the door of my Forms of Fiction class, prepared to push it open with all of my body weight. It was a semi-fruitless attempt, as the door only opened a third of the way and my muscles spasmed in protest. I was panting and beginning to sweat. …
Less Leg More Heart: A Story of Elevation After Amputation
Life has a way of throwing you curveballs when you least expect it. At 27 years old, I was completely comfortable. I had assured a favorable position after eight years of college and was working as a Physician Assistant in acute care medicine in New Hampshire. I had a brand-new …
My Severe Stenosis Helped My Anxiety
Sometimes when I am half asleep, I curl my toes, twist my ankle, and stretch my leg till I can feel it from hip to toe. I do this often, waiting till I can feel any stretch, poke, twinge, twang…hoping none turn into spasms, aches, pains, throbs… Under the cover …
Sophie Elwes: How to Start Your Podcast Show
Why I Started My Podcast Back in 2018, I was contemplating the end of my para ski racing career, having spent four seasons training out in the USA at the NSCD in Winter Park, Colorado alongside training and racing with the British Para Snowsport development team. I loved skiing, loved …
I am Happy on Wheels
At the age of 16, I became a quadriplegic because of a diving accident. Since then, I’ve experienced multiple urinary tract infections, pressure sores, and a long litany of other medical issues. And like a bad movie, I am also a breast cancer survivor, having a right mastectomy 10 years …
Growing Up with Death
Growing up with Death sounds so weird, right? How can I possibly grow up with Death? But that’s how I feel. Death has been in my life since I was in kindergarten. If you’re immersed in the world of people with physical disabilities, death might have been with you throughout …
Stare All You Want. I am Disabled and Beautiful.
One of the biggest complaints disabled people have about non disabled people are the stares. You know the ones where you are minding your own business and people stop in mid action to stare at you. I’ve chosen to use those stares to my advantage. I was born with a …
A Disabled Woman’s Nude Photo Shoot Confession
My journey to accept my body and disability has not been simple or straight. How does one learn to accept what one cannot change? How does one unfold? When rheumatoid arthritis invaded my life as a child, much of my self-esteem disappeared. My hands are always hidden in old photographs, …
A New Tomorrow. Thank You Covid-19
A few weeks ago, I had a good old rant on Facebook bemoaning all the buzzwords that I would prefer never to see again. Buzzword terms like unpack, disrupt, power couple, finger-on-the-pulse, go-getters. The list is inexhaustible. Not long after my posting this on social media, my sister gave me …