Why I’m Seeking an ASD Assessment

 

Having a disability like mine means I understand my body well. My brain, however, is a different story.

A map was drawn in 2012. In 2011 everything collapsed. My disability diagnosis changed. My marriage and my work ended. My community disappeared. Debt followed. Drinking increased, a lot.

Then 2012 arrived. 

The Figurehead

Prince William recently and finally made a positive Christian affirmation. It was not a dramatic conversion story or testimony. It just acknowledged that he wants a strong and meaningful relationship with the Church. Honestly, I found that comforting.

For a while, I was not sure he had any faith at all. I think many people assumed the same. William always felt distant. Maybe Eton put him off, its a generational things, or it’s just him. Yet hearing about his faith as part of his authentic self, even if cautiously, felt like an important shift.

I needed that.

The Emotional Whiplash of Dreams

For almost thirty years I’ve lived with FSHD. That feels surreal. I only became a permanent wheelchair user in 2020, long after the diagnosis, falls, and stubborn years of refusing to give in, but in many ways, I’ve lived two lives: the one before using a wheelchair, and the one after.  

Yet, my mind hasn’t accepted that fully.