By Natasha Price

Life is what you make it! How often do you hear people say that? How often do you think to yourself, “sure, but you don’t live my life, do you”?

It’s true; nobody has ever walked in your shoes or wheeled in your chair; however, every person is faced with challenges on a daily basis. Some may seem more difficult than others, but adversity is different for all, and it’s how you choose to focus your mindset that will affect your ability to cope. 

If you cannot find an opportunity in life and not focus on what was, challenges will weigh you down; your future will never seem bright.

I have had health issues my whole life, but nothing prepared me for what happened in Christmas time in 2008. I went to bed as “normal” and woke up the following day blind in one eye. Within a week, I was blind in both eyes, barely able to tell night or day. One month later, I found myself paralysed. I was later diagnosed with a rare neurological disease, something I was unaware I had.

The biggest thing this experience taught me is that navigating a new path isn’t easy, especially when your life has been unexpectedly and dramatically changed, and having spent the first nine years post disability unable to get out of bed, I truly felt this. However, there is so much power in what your personal journey can show others.

The thing is, and this will sound harsh, but you have two choices… remain in the past and let it consume you, or adapt and overcome so that you can be happy with your future. It may be different to what you’d planned, but it’s the only life you have. 

Whilst disability came with a million different challenges, it has taught me so much about the person I am and the legacy I wish to leave. Thanks to my disability, I have learnt about resilience, strength and determination, what it means to be kind and empathetic, to be part of a community of people with shared experiences, and how to adapt. I now understand by sharing my journey, and I can help others also to lead an incredible life.

Nobody is claiming it’s easy, as it isn’t. But In situations you have no control over, the single choice you have is how you choose to tackle it. Feel any hardships you face and draw on them to use your lived experiences to live an InvincAble life. 

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