i have spastic cp myself

i started volunteering this summer at a program in cleveland, ohio called youth challenge sports. this program works with kids with physical disabilities to adapt sports and recreational activities. they pair a volunteer with a participant (someone disabled) every day so the two just work together. during the past summer i've done everything from push another girl in a wheelchair race (we got 3rd!) to play wheelchair kickball (i dont even think you want to know how me and my partner did... lol). we also went to an amusement park, where even some severe CP kids were able to ride some of the rollercoasters. i had a great time and it really reminded me of what is important in life. i plan to continue as long as i can.

by the way, the program works with kids with CP, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, blindness, deafness, and every other physical disability you could think of. one of my friends that i met at the program has both spina bifida and is deaf. he's also one of the strongest (upper body strength) people i know.

you can find out about youth challenge by searching in google if you want. just make sure you dont click on this other national guard thing that frankly is a little creepy! it has the same name... but i think if you search "youth challenge sports cleveland" in google it will take you to the website.

i am about to look at your website, and i think you have a very good collection of stories! its good to see people recognizing that there could be disabled people on television, and in the harry potter books. you dont see it much. and harry potter doesnt mention disabilities at all, which i think JK rowling should have.

wow this is long... im just going to stop rambling now :)

like i said in my other message i sent you a few chapter back, i am in a wheelchair and i have had some teasing and people stare and me and be mean to me but i know that it is just something that i will probably always have to deal with. but i have really enjoyed reading this story and i have added it to my favourite story list, i really hope that you will come back and write some more. i noticed that its been a few years since you have updated this story, i think its time.

this chapter was amazing, i myself have a Disability and in a wheelchair, I have Spina Bifida and have been a wheelchair my whole life. the only differnce for me is that i am not really in to sports lol. great story so far, i am going to go on reading your story, just wanted to tell you that.

hey.Great story.I think its great you want to educate people about disabilities.Anyway please write more.

Hello,

I can see that you have not updated in a while, but I wanted to tell you how much I like this story anyhow. I also have CP so I found it interesting. I really appreciate the way you explained that CP is not a disease right off the bat because I get really annoyed when people think that. Anyways, you are a good writer and it is awesome how you are your gift to educate people about disabilities. Keep it up.

hey this story is good, is all of your Storys with people that have a disabilitie? I know things CP how some people walk diffent and also that people could oh most blind also. I'm glad that you wright that Story and and i hoep you do more with ti to. i think its good that your righting so thenm other peple can get some ideas of it.

Maybe you should ddodo a story that someone is blind i dont i just am glad tht someone is righting about other thing, you how the other story all everything is good that nothing worng with anythg

can you right me back and tell me what you that would meen alot oto me.

My e-mail is

thanks that would alot to me if you can get back to me

And if you have msn you can add me also

That's a cool title for the story and the new summery. Kind of makes me think of that Simple Plan song "Me Against the World." Cool song. I also like the other three by them entitled "Perfect," "Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)," and "Welcome To My Life."

Mary Johnson

If you want to chat or something drop me a line at my e-mail address My Instant Messager screen-name is Beamer9368. If you want to talk.

Hey Great chapter. That is horrible and sad what those dudes said to Mel. I acutally I have CP myself and would get teased as earlier as elementry school, and some kids would pick on me in high school for it to. I suffer from this mild form of it, where sometimes I limp because my muscles tighten and the ligments of my left leg tighten so bad that there is a burning sensation in my leg, and whole left side. The CP i have affects my entire left side and sometimes are trip over stuff or whatever. thanks for listening, and keep writing. The story is cool.

Mary Johnson

to see my webpage go to My page is West Winger Garage. The Subtitle is WWG. The Domain name is Jed4One. To view my journal entries or anything in my journal go to the search bar located on the opening page of the site and type in Petela5072. The username is in memory of a friend's friend who died in the Vietnam War on May 14, 1970. His name was Thomas. He was 20 years old.

Bye

Wow, this story is awesome. I am so glad I came accross this story, b/c like you adn many others I have CP as well (my right side is weaker). Also im deaf and I wear hearing aids in both ears.

i would love to talk to u on msn messenger one day. my email address is yuk5 @ msn . com (take out all the spaces)

Please update asap and sorry if the email addy doesnt show up. =D

~Randi~

I would say this to an able-bodied person, so I think you wouldn't want me to hold it back just because you are disabled: This is a Mary Sue. Melanie doesn't seem to have any weaknesses, other than having to be reminded every now and then of how awesome she is, and her character doesn't really seem to have any dimension. All she and Stephanie ever do together is stuff related to disability-attending disabled-related sporting events, looking at disabled-related websites, making up disabled-related educational programs. . . doesn't Melanie have any hobbies or other things she enjoys? Playing cards, watching movies, knitting, board games, anything? It's also rather unrealistic and OOC for often-insecure Stephanie to essentially drop all her friends and spend time with only Melanie, despite the social stigma she's facing. I could see DJ doing that on the show, or maybe Michelle, but not Stephanie.

This really isn't a bad fic, though. The writing quality is good, and the chapters neither drag nor zip by at lightning speed. Your mechanics are mostly ok; I did notice that you sometimes add unnecessary prepositions ("at which they were sitting at" instead of "at which they were sitting, or "in which I was participating in" instead of "in which I was participating"). You just need to add some realism and dimension to your characters, as well as some plot and character development. More conflict with less melodrama might help also-there is plenty of conflict, but it's all about how mean the terrible world is to poor, innocent Melanie. Don't people ever have problems that aren't related to Melanie? Doesn't Melanie ever do anything wrong, or have any problems that aren't related to her disability?

Good luck with your writing, and your site. ^_^

This is very good! You seem very knowledgeable about cerebral palsy as well, I might add.

OMG this is such a great story. I dont get ppl that r mean to other ppl just because how they look. I mean theres this girl in my school and shes deaf and needs a mike thingy just to hear u good and ppl dont make fun of her and if they EVER did and i found out there be sorry. I was bullied 6th- 8th grade and its not fun at all. Im now in a new school and 9th grade. Keep up the good work.

Awesome chapter!

Check out my story about a little girl that has been stricken cerebral palsy. It's called the special family.

I love this story because I play on a team for kids who have mental disabilities. Of course we don't like to think about it that way.

Brian is one kid who has CP pretty badly. Wheelchair bound. I still make an effort to stop and have conversation with him.

One time we were waiting for the other bus to get there and he said this " Lets talk about politics!"

So keep up the good work

“And you know what you can do? You can persevere. You will change the world someday, Mel. I know you will. And once you’re a famous peacemaker, poet and disability activist, Gia and all the other people who’ve been mean to you will be very sorry that they ever thought about being mean to you.

Wow, you really insert yourself into your stories. Really. Anyways, I skipped the middle chapters because there wasn't much devolpment inbetween. Good luck though