Update: This post has also been featured on The Mighty! Check it out here! Everyone who meets me likely suspects that I have a disability, unless they think that I use an insanely expensive, custom wheelchair for fun. That plus my chronic illnesses have impacted my life a lot. Some of that impact has been positive. I mean, I've befriended a lot of awesome, fellow disabled and/or chronically ill people who I'd hate to have to live without. And I suppose there's the whole "I've learned to appreciate things" thing, and many of my current hobbies may not be in my life without it, etc etc. But that's not quite what this post is about. It's hard to deny that my GPA and AP exam scores could've been much higher without Transverse Myelitis, and I could've participated in so many more extracurriculars. Where would I be in my running career if I were still able-bodied? Plus, I've dropped more classes than I care to admit during the last 5 years because, between hospitalizations and long flares causing me to miss weeks of school at a time, it can be incredibly difficult to keep up sometimes. I've tried my best and so far, for the most part, I haven't been unsuccessful. But it hasn't been easy, and I feel like I've barely done anything other than school; after sophomore year, my only extracurricular was choir, and I never got a job in high school. I rarely even hung out with friends during the week, because I needed a 2-hour nap after school every day in order to have just barely enough energy for homework. Meanwhile, so many people are able to do it all, and as a result, I feel so inadequate. I feel like they've surpassed me in every way because, for everything I accomplish, my [incredibly smart, gorgeous, and driven] friends have achieved that plus 10 other amazing things. And that was just high school. If my freshman year of college taught me anything, it's that life just keeps getting more and more difficult as time goes on which is, admittedly, the exact opposite of what I hoped for. I'm still only 19, so I know that I can't speak for all stages of life, but I can express my experiences and thoughts and fears. See, right now, I've been thinking, and I realized just how scared I am for the future. There are many reasons for this--some most human beings can relate to--but at this moment, the most prominent is my fear that I won't ever get a good job. I just so desperately want to be a Physician Assistant but, realistically, will I be able to get that job? Or will all of that schooling (assuming I make it, which will be a battle in and of itself) be for nothing? You might think that this is an irrational fear, especially if you know me well and therefore actually see me as an intelligent, "normal" human being. But as dramatic and negative as I can be sometimes, I know that this one is valid, and I'm not the only disabled person who worries about it. I'm afraid that employers will take one look at the wheelchair (and/or crutches) and sucky, demented hands and decide that I'm not competent. And it's true that, technically, I probably can't physically bring as much to the position as my able-bodied counterparts. But I'm smart, and I'm determined, and I am able to adapt. I mean, just ask my mom-- At 13 years old, newly paralyzed, with no hand function, no right arm function, and very, very little left arm function, I was stubbornly determined to learn how to feed myself. In 8th grade, I shakily scribbled most of my own notes with my weak, non-dominant hand, refusing to rely on the assigned note-taker next to me. At 14, after doctors had told me that I'd never walk again, I ran and quickly became the fastest freshman girl on the cross country team. At 15, sick of relying on other people, I figured out a way to tie normal shoe laces by myself. I'm not saying that I'm super amazing or anything; I'm just saying that I know how to adapt and I know what I'm capable of. I'm not in any way scared that I won't be physically able to be a PA… I'm just afraid that other people will think so, because they don't know me at all. Instead, all they'll see are my physical limitations (which just seem to be getting worse and worse), and I'm afraid that my able-bodied competitor will be chosen over me every time, despite the fact that it's technically illegal to discriminate in that way. And even if I manage to get a job… Well, the fears don't stop there. One of my professors is giving me a D for this past semester because I missed the last three weeks of school due to being sick and in the hospital, and he thought that I had too much makeup work to be granted an incomplete and finish over the summer. This is sucky, but overall not really that big a deal. However, what if next time, instead of a low-level course that I technically don't need for my degree and can easily retake, it's a job? What if I'm eventually fired because of things I can't control, because I'm "sick" more than most people? I mean, I can try my best to not require hospitalization and work through days when my pain and fatigue flare so much that I can barely lift my head off the pillow, but I already tried that this year and, well, you all saw how that worked out for me. Trust me, this isn't me trying to throw a pity party or look for the worst-case scenario. I know that many people all over the world have to suffer through far worse problems than this. And normally, when it comes to my abilities, I don't say I "can't" do things (besides, like, run. Or jump. Or do a chin-up.), because I just hate feeling weak and especially hate when people pity me. But these fears are just becoming increasingly real as I get older--especially as my body fails me more and more--and I hate that I have to be afraid that other people's ableism could possibly inhibit me from following my dreams. I wish that more people saw me for who I am. I don’t see myself as particularly "strong" or "inspirational." I mean, I am disabled. I am chronically ill. I definitely won't deny that, as those things are a huge part of me. But I'm also just a 19 year old girl who loves singing, writing, and swimming. I am a college student who is fascinated by the human body and modern medicine. I am a daughter and sister who loves and values her family more than anything else in the world. I am sensitive, empathetic, "too" kind, creative, hard-working, stubborn, independent, determined. Yes, my disability is a part of me, but it isn't the only part of me. I just hope that the people I meet--employers, bosses, colleagues, society--will eventually realize this, because I'm just so, so sick of fighting against a world that's not built for me. [Side-note: Someone should seriously put on a production of Les Mis featuring disabled people so I can be Eponine... Not that that's a huge, unrealistic dream of mine or anything..... Haha. Ha.]
5 Comments
Laura Arnone
6/1/2017 10:55:59 am
You can DO Anything Jen! I admire your passion & strength! The World needs your gifts & LoVe !!
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Barbara
6/1/2017 01:38:05 pm
💛👏
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Cora Santillan
6/2/2017 09:30:23 am
Do not fear..the Lord is with you.. you have been doing it, and you can do more.. i admire your your strength and compassion. You are lucky to have a family and friends who are your wind beneath your wings..
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Jennifer Harkey, DO
6/9/2017 12:45:35 am
Just stumbled upon your blog after reading both of your books, which I have enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
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AboutHi, I'm Jen Starzec, and I'm 19 years old. I write a lot about disability and chronic illness, especially related to my main disorder, Transverse Myelitis. I also have a lot of poetry and some short stories. Enjoy! Categories
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