Show Links

Chad’s Links

Connect with Chad on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/chadwillia1

Get Your Doing Hard Things My Way Gear:
https://doinghardthingsmyway.com/

Contribute to the Doing Hard Things My Way Adaptive Athlete Scholarship Fund:
https://bold.org/funds/doing-hard-things-my-way-adaptive-athlete-scholarship-fund

Daryl’s Links:

Connect with Daryl on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/daryltperry/

For ALL things Your Level Fitness:
https://yourlevelfitness.com/

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, but for many people living with CP, awareness is not something that exists for just one month out of the year. It is part of daily life.

In this episode of The Cerebral Palsy Perspective, host Chad Williams and cohost Daryl Perry talk about their personal relationship with CP awareness and how that relationship has evolved over time.

Both Chad and Daryl share that for much of their lives they did not actively talk about cerebral palsy. In many situations they even avoided the conversation completely. They explain how they would sometimes deflect questions or avoid explaining why they walked differently or moved differently in public.

Over time though, both of them discovered that sharing their story created new opportunities, new connections, and new ways to support others in the cerebral palsy community.

Chad talks about how opening up about his experience led to the creation of an adaptive athlete scholarship and even organizing a 5K race that supports cerebral palsy causes. Daryl shares how starting conversations and stepping outside of his comfort zone created connections within the CP community and inspired this podcast.

They also discuss an important truth about visibility. Living with a visible disability already brings attention in everyday life, and sometimes people simply do not want that extra attention. That is completely normal. Sharing your story does not mean you have to be on all the time.

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that there is no single way to participate in awareness. Some people might organize events, others may share their story online, and some might simply begin by saying the words I have cerebral palsy.

Every story matters.

Chad and Daryl also reflect on how the internet and modern connectivity have changed the experience of living with CP. For generations before social media and online communities, many people with cerebral palsy lived without ever connecting with others who shared their experience.

Now those stories can be shared, preserved, and passed on.

If you have ever considered sharing your story but felt unsure about where to start, this conversation is meant to encourage you. It only takes one action to spark something meaningful.

And you never know where that spark might lead.

Please share this episode with anyone you think would be interested in listening to it.

Visit yourlevelfitness.com/cerebral-palsy-perspective for links to the show page on each of the major podcast directories. From there, you can subscribe and share this pod.