Lilyana - About My Disability

Lilyana here. This is my first post, and i’m not sure what to write about. Mellie says to “Jump Into It”, buts that doesn’t mean much, coming from her. Sorry, that was mean. Its not her fault she had a lot to talk about, I sure wish I did. I read Mellie’s post, it was really quite interesting. So I guess I should jump into it. I was born was a huge deformation in my left arm, and a lot of problems with my back. It was nobodies fault, not my moms, not my dads. But it meant I couldn’t do a lot of things other girls my age could, because it was very hard for me to use my arm, and when I was younger, even to walk. As a result, I became very shy. Well, maybe I would have been shy anyway, I don’t know. When I was four, i had an operation on my arm, but it didn’t work out very well. When I was five, I had another on my back, which was half successful. I could walk, but not run, and not for very long. Somebody suggested riding therapy, and i guess the idea caught in my mom. My sister Melanie was just born then, and we were growing out of our house fast. My Father’s father also owned a large ranch. What better idea then to move the family out there, as it would also help my health? Well, we did, when I was six, driving the two hundred miles in our beat up minivan. I kind of missed my friends – and neighbors -  Mimi and Sara, especially because I had a very hard time making friends. And its funny for me to say this, but i was scared of horses. That changed when i met Rachel. Rachel never looked at me funny because of my disability. She never teased me, never cared i could basically just use one arm. Rachel was funny and crazy and exuberant. She was also the one who helped me get over my fear of horses. She came to every one of my special riding classes, until it became clear that even one–handed I could ride better then she could. I started regular classes, then advanced ones, and began wining trophies. When I was eleven, my parents divorced. My mom didn’t know where to go, especially as I began having trouble with my back again. Then my aunt said we could move in with her, in Boston. My mom agreed, because I could have much better medical care there then I could in Montana. My mom, sister, and I moved to live with Samantha, who helped me embrace my singing talent, something I’d been pretending I didn’t have. When I was twelve, I had another operation. This one really fixed my arm a lot. I can use it a little now, and if i’m wearing long sleeves you can never tell anything’s wrong. It also helped my back, and I can pretty much move normally now, if I’m careful.  I’m still shy, but riding has made me less so, and more open about my disability. What I want to do is teach riding to other handicapped kids, so they can have the chance i did.