MY EXCUSE

I WAS born with cerebral palsy. My cerebral palsy affected my speech and my ability to walk. I talk more slowly than most people, and I shake a lot, so it takes me longer to walk from place to place. I have a very close family, and many relatives and good friends live close to my parents' home where I grew up, so I was always surrounded by people who loved me. They did a lot to help me not feel different. As a kid I went to special schools and had friends at those schools, but still, most of my social contacts were family and neighbors, and after I graduated from high school I wanted to have some friends of my own.