You may be wondering why I named my website and blog EsthersWalkingJourney.co when I write about other things happening in my life besides walking. I will write about everything in my life, including products, people, and resources that help me. I will share my good, bad, happy, and sad moments with you.
Let me tell you the reasoning behind my decision. I’ve been a quadriplegic for over 18 years, and I was, until recently, a very private person, partly because my family was and still is ashamed of my disability; they and the community that we live in seem to think that a disability is a curse. They believe that people with disabilities ought to be pitied and hidden that we can’t work, be productive, and accomplish tasks by ourselves.
These ableist views that I’ve been surrounded by for 18 years are so ingrained in me. I’ve slowly let myself believe them and have just gone along with the flow. I have never spoken up and, in turn, defended those ableist myths and views, much like someone in a cult who has been brainwashed. I will write more about that and elaborate further on this in a later post.
The thing about my condition that I miss the most is the ability to walk. The impact is greater than simply dealing with the emotional aspect of being unable to walk. I firmly believe and know that being upright and walking prevents and mitigates the many health problems that we, as wheelchair users, have because we sit all day. I’ve always looked for ways to help me walk again. I’ve since tried another exoskeleton, which I first thought was the greatest thing in the world. (I’m choosing not to mention their name now but may do so later for informational and educational purposes because just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it is not helping many other people.)
Discovering Wandercraft and walking in their Atalante X exoskeleton has given me a new lease on life. Besides all its tremendous physical, emotional, and psychological benefits (more about it in another post).it has given me the courage, determination, and motivation to finally open up about my life and my disability and share with you my insights and unique perspectives. My experiences walking in Wandercraft’s Atalante X exoskeleton have pushed me to create this website/blog and a YouTube channel! These actions required me to have a great deal of courage, and even now, I am still unsure if I am doing the right thing by sharing my experiences with the world.
I hope you will enjoy reading my insights and thoughts as much as I enjoy writing them.