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"A warrior is someone who understands their needs and is fearless in telling others what they are, even at the risk of being vulnerable."- 4warriors.com Hello, my name is Sophie (@sophieatypical), I'm 28 and from Norfolk, UK. My story is somewhat complex and lengthy, so I'll try to break it down into a bitesize snippet. On 17/05/1993 I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, I was deprived of oxygen for approximately 10 Minutes due to lack of equipment in the hospital at the time. My neurologist believes my complicated birth could be the answer for some of my medical conditions now: Bitemporal Epilepsy, Brain Tumor, Learning Difficulties. Just to name a few.
Growing up I had a troubled childhood, my conditions affected me in ways that nobody back then really understood. I have Idiopathic Anaphylaxis so I was in and out of the hospital a lot with unknown allergies as well. My hardest years were in secondary school. Bullying took its toll and I turned to "bunking" off school, alcohol, and smoking at 14, evidently I was expelled with no qualifications. I did make a comeback though and got my qualifications in college, especially excelling at photography! ;)
Unfortunately, after a successful few years working different jobs, my health took a turn and deteriorated. In 2019 I had surgery for and got through Lymphoma. This surgery caused me nerve damage - right-sided partial paralysis. While I'm writing this, I am experiencing hearing loss to my right ear, whilst now I've also been diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis and Functional Neurological Disorder (Caused by Stroke). All of these conditions I cope with daily in my own way, I need days of rest after days out, and all on top of my daily struggles and fun with ASD, ADHD, and mental health.
Despite everything, nothing will ever stop me from fighting, pushing, and continuing to be a free spirit full of life. Some days I need to use my walking stick to help me walk, other days I need my wheelchair, and some days I can walk with just somebody's arm or someone nearby, and that's fine. I'll always be free and full of life, to do whatever I want. And so can yooooo! I am now signed by an incredible agent, @zebedeetalent who has helped build my confidence, an incredible community, friends, and I've never been so ready to combat everything and just go for it!
