_By Chelsea Hagen, PRC Blogger _
My name is Chelsea Hagen. I was born on a beautiful summer day in the month of July. That day almost didn’t happen for me. My umbilical cord was caught on my arm and I had very little oxygen. My body was the colour of a bluish black. The doctors didn’t know if I would live.
As it turned out my little crimson heart was beating like an enormous drum. I survived. At one years old I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, this left me not able to walk or talk. But, that didn’t stop me. Nope, to help me get around, I got a fantastic black and silver wheelchair it reminded me of a long cold wintery night. I could go fast and feel the wind hitting my face and ruffling my hair.
I was also lucky to have some huge owl eyes, blue like the Pacific Ocean, they helped me to gaze at my communicating pictures, so I could show people what I wanted. I was two years old when I got my own easy talker that could speak. I felt like a huge green fuzzy caterpillar breaking out from her chrysalis. I still feel like that every time I learn more words and add them to my communication device. I call my devise The Volcano of Words, this is because, as I hit different words they come flowing out into wonderful long sentences.
Writing, even though, it is challenge for me, and it takes me a long time, it is still my favorite thing to do. I have joined a writers group and have even had some of my writing published and wrote a couple screen plays and made them into short films. I sometimes get asked, “If you didn’t have a disability would you still be a writer.” My answer, “Nah, I would probably be asking people, do you want fries with that?” It’s tough for any writer to make a living at just writing. So, saying that… I see my disability as an advantage.
I get to write all day or night, sleep until noon and work on my dream of becoming a famous author. Sounds pretty sweet to me. I also love to talk. I really enjoy being a speaker at conferences, colleges and schools. I love to talk so much that I will even give up my powerchair (my talking scan switches are also my driving switches) when I go out because I talk non-stop. For me, communicating is the most important thing.
So, when people ask me what it was like without my communication device. I say that I can’t remember what it was like not having a voice of some kind, but I do know that a voice is the most wonderful gift of all. A gift that I’m so grateful to have.
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Communicators In Action