Every story needs a good dose of adversity and a compelling character to rise above it. I don’t find myself very compelling, but I’ve done my share of trying to overcome the obstacles that have come my way.
When I was ten months old, I was diagnosed with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder. This would go on to affect my motor skills and balance. Even at that young age, though, my doctor could see what kind of person I was, as he told my parents, “She’s a fighter! You don’t have to worry about her.” Never have any truer words been spoken.
Yes, a fighter I was, as my classmates, whom I’d readily challenge to arm-wrestling matches, can tell you! As the doctor had predicted, that attitude was one of the things that propelled me to where I am today. I wasn’t going to sit in a wheelchair and watch the world go by…and my family would’ve never let me try!
My parents never treated me like a handicapped child. My mom took me everywhere, even to bowl, and my dad even taught me how to play baseball and football—or a version thereof! My Cerebral Palsy was merely a term I heard in therapy and at doctors’ appointments.
Of course, being handicapped came with its obstacles, as hard as my parents tried to help me to overlook them. Since I had no mental limitations, I went to mainstream school, where I was an honors student. Nonetheless, my physical challenges stood in the way of a typical childhood, and my inability to do the things my peers could do made for a few rough years.
In middle school, I began walking short distances independently. My school and community supported my strides the whole way. The head football coach and his team played an integral role in my journey, encouraging me to make progress and even having me lead them onto the field for their last game that year. In many ways, those players gave me the jumpstart I needed to go into adulthood with confidence.
From a young age, I wanted to become an author, but since I can only type with one hand, I didn’t know if I could meet such a goal. Like every aspiring author, my professional pursuits required the same resilience my physical ones did, but it too paid off. My debut novel, Husband in Hiding, was accepted for publication in 2015. Despite a variety of professional setbacks, six more of my novels have been traditionally published in the decade since then, primarily by The Wild Rose Press.
My circumstances may have been a bit more difficult than some people’s, but I’ve tried to make the most of them and lead as full of a life as I can. I’ve had my dark days, but with the love and support from my family and friends, along with my faith, I’ve battled through them, as the fighter that I am.
Updated November 2025
KarinaBartow.com 