Growing up without Cerebral Palsy (CP), you spend a lot of time friends and family. Growing up with CP, you do the same, but with one addition. Sometimes, you spend more time with your Physical and Occupational Therapists (PT and OT) than you do at home. It seems like sometimes I did. They may not know it, but they left a big impact on my life; that's why I want to write the following thank you letter.

Hi, Everyone!

I have so much I want to say, but I want to start with thank you. Thank you all so much for everything you've done and continue to do for me. you all did so much more than just help me strengthen my muscles and fine motor skills. You instilled a confidence and work ethic in me that has followed me all the way to College, and will continue to follow me. I know I wasn't the easiest kid to work with ( I'm sure you can tell by my face in the picture below featuring the lovely Mrs. Amie, who also happened to be the best Ballet teacher ).

You all made working out lots of fun. I learned a lot of my best jokes from every single one of you. I also came to you with some interesting stories (Whether they were true, I'm really not sure), and you all listened.I also got to eat a lot. Lucky for me, my mom would pack awesome sacks for me to share. Sometimes, I even got the do some really cool stuff without knowing it was a workout. For instance, I got to ride horses and rock climb (I thought I was some cool stuff).

(yes, that's little Emma climbing up the wall with the help of Mrs. Shannon. ). No matter what therapist I was with, anytime I got tired you all would tell me pretty much the same thing. " Keep going, Emma! Go, go, go! Now that I have made the decision to teach Elementary School, I plan to instill this in all of my students. If it's tough keep going, you can do it.

Now to my OTs. Thank you. Because of y'all, I can hold a pencil, pen, marker, Crayon, and even brush my teeth the right way. My recent lesson plan includes teaching students how to hold a pencil. Boy, is that hard. I have so much respect for your ease in helping me learn it. Not only did you teach me to hold a pencil, you also helped me strengthen my arms by putting on a brace to keep your arms straight, which, when they are pretty much at a 45 degree angle, is not fun.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank my parents. Without them, I wouldn't have had these opportunities. You had the hardest job of all! Convincing me to do to my exercises at home!( you have done more for me than I could ever thank you for, but that's another article).

Thank you all for everything.

Emma