Living with Chronic Pain
My name is Julian. I am 24 years old, single, and here is my life story. When I was born, I was a premature drug addicted baby. Up until my first year of life, I was in and out of the hospital due to convulsions. I was taken away from my parents when I was five years old and became a ward of the state. Later on that year, my father died due to a drug overdose. When I was ten years old, my mother died of breast cancer.
When I was 12 years old, I was seen at Carrie Tingley Children's hospital for medical problems. I had my first knee surgery at the age of six and was bullied a lot in high school. I couldn't cope with my struggles anymore, so in 2013 I attempted suicide by taking around 2,000 milligrams of sleeping pills. God didn't want me in heaven, so I graduated at the end of that year and became a youth advocate for Luvya- a group that advocates for foster children. I'm now part of a group called Youth Move- a national organization for children with mental health conditions. I also advocate for disabled people or people with "abilities, not disabilities."
You're probably wondering why some random guy has this story. My abilities are Tourette's syndrome, uneven hips which makes me limp. This cannot be fixed, and I experience chronic pain and deformed knee caps- also known as runner's knee Osteoarthritis. I don't let my abilities stop me. Don't let anyone tell you that you cant do what you want to do.
