For this Disability Pride Month, find ways to celebrate your status

Disabilities typically don’t go hand in hand with celebrations. In fact, messages from the able-bodied have told me my whole life that I should hide the part of me that’s significantly affected who I am today: my disability. As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, I’d like to explain how I flipped that narrative and now share with others this intricate piece of my story.

For years, I felt bad about my health, even though it was beyond my control. I tried to keep up with my peers who were able-bodied. I worked 10 times harder than them to get my two college degrees, maintain a full-time job, and have a normal social life. That didn’t go well with my failing lungs when cystic fibrosis (CF) reared its ugly head, and I had to abruptly stop working.

I also faced the shame that was attached to my disability. Rewiring my brain to believe what is actually true has been a game changer. I settled into my identity, accepting that I’m inherently valuable because I’m a human being. From that place, I could operate according to my strengths as a therapist who edifies others, brings hope to the hopeless, and lends an ear to those in need.

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Since my double-lung transplant six years ago, I’ve learned some valuable ways to embrace my disability. If I get caught up in the comparison trap of other people’s stories versus mine, I come up empty every time. Wishing that I didn’t have a disability doesn’t help me, either. But when I focus instead on my abilities, I’m able to share my gifts with the world.

Recognizing how my disability qualifies me rather than disqualifies me changes the way I perceive my life and allows me to live fully right where I’m at.

Words to live by

So how did I do it? By implementing the following five areas of guidance. If you’re in a similar place in your life as I was, I hope you’ll find these suggestions as helpful as I did:

1. Focus on what you can do and avoid comparing yourself with others. You have unique skills that others need. Each person does, regardless of disability status. Comparison is a waste of time when you know that we’re all designed differently on purpose. The goal is to be yourself.

2. Don’t water down your experience to make others comfortable. Tell the real, raw version of your story. People relate to real, not fabricated narratives of what really happened. This shift will add to the arsenal of how incredible you are with everything that you’ve endured. It’ll also spark hope for others that if you can do it, they can, too.

3. Stop caring what others think about you, and mean it. You don’t have to answer to anyone, nor do you need their permission to be yourself and do what you’re called to do. Don’t give others authority to dictate your life choices or determine how you view yourself. Those who don’t support you aren’t important. Be your own source of validation and choose to focus on those who know you best. They’re in your corner cheering you on, and that’s all you need.

4. Give yourself permission to be proud of how far you’ve come. If you’ve lived with a disability for any amount of time, you’ve typically been through a lot. Celebrate your progress, elevate your accomplishments, and revel in your ability to overcome what’s been thrown at you. Big or small victories, acknowledge them!

5. You also didn’t give up when it was hard. You persevered through adversity and continue to make the world a better place just by being yourself. That’s true strength and fortitude.

When was the last time you saw your disability as credibility? Have you ever? If not, maybe it’s time to reevaluate how you perceive your disability apart from the narrative that society has written.

Note: Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cystic Fibrosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.