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Topics: Health, Reddit, Social Media
Lucy Devine
A man who was diagnosed with a condition that 'locked his body in an uncontrollable state' has spoken about the one part of the disease he wished people understood.
On a Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' thread, the user explained he was 'born with severe cerebral palsy' and is unable to complete any functional tasks.
Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that impact movement and posture.
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It's caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, often before birth.
Mayo Clinic explain that symptoms usually appear during infancy or preschool and can vary from mild to serious.
"Children with cerebral palsy may have exaggerated reflexes," they explain.
"The arms, legs and trunk may appear floppy. Or they may have stiff muscles, known as spasticity. Symptoms also can include irregular posture, movements that can't be controlled, a walk that's not steady or some combination of these."
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Taking to Reddit, the man spoke about his condition and how it impacts his life.
"I am not able to do any functional tasks. I am 28 and spend weekdays in a group home and weekends at home since I require a high level of care," he wrote.
"I am not able to speak and learned how to use assistive communication device that tracks my eye movements when I was a teenager."
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He invited other Reddit users to 'ask him anything' about the condition, to which one person wrote: "What’s one thing you wish more people knew about having cp?"
The man responded: "I wish people knew I am just a normal dude that is stuck in a nonfunctional body.
"I would like to be treated like a normal person but people see me and my wheelchair and they are intimidated or they do not think I am mentally capable."
Responding to the comment, one person admitted: "This is really messed up but i legitimately thought that cerebral palsy meant that you were always mentally disabled as well. Idk if this makes you feel any better, but I learned it here and I’ll keep that in mind now."
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The man added: "Glad to hear that yes a lot of us do look mentally disabled and brain damage is a wide spectrum and some are mentally disabled."
Another added in the comments: "Same here. I am actually surprised. I had ignorantly assumed that people with this issue we’re just cognitively impaired as well."
The man explained that although 'some people are', he added: "I am not though I look that way. It is as if my body is locked in an uncontrollable state."