Sunday, August 12, 2007

18 AND LEGAL IN 92!!!!!!! [edit*]

A few days before graduation was my 18th birthday! I did not have a big party (Graduating was my party!). My family sang in unison (Lord help us all!) Happy Birthday while handing me a cupcake with a candle in it! A friend of mine who worked for MDA, Christy, came over and we went on to eat then to the Ice Capades!

Turning 18 was a major thing for me because it meant that I could handle more things on my own without parental guidance and/or signatures like buying cigarettes, and making curfew!!! J/K, I had you going there..right? I mean to call the doctor, or sign and fill out paperwork, stuff like that. My mother was (and still is) a wonderful support, but she is a pretty big procrastinator on some things. She was also working during this time which also made it hard to handle it all. Which was another reason I was glad to have more of the monkey on my back. A few months before graduating I was approached by the vocational rehabilitation in Tulsa to talk about my options due to my FA after graduation. They gave me the paperwork to fill out and turn in when I turned 18 to be eligible for Social Security and Medicaid. They would also help with driving school, and getting a car adapted. That was exciting to me for I did not even know it would be possible for me to drive! Not only that but they would also help financially with schooling. What a blessing this was. This was also around the time when I learned the true meaning of the word "red tape.” Forget that you have a disability for several months (or longer) until the government gets around to the paperwork! UGH! A really good friend of mine at the time, Carla, made it her mission to show me the ropes on how to be organized when it came to filing away papers, and in making things look neat. Carla was quite a bit older than me so she had experience. And she would be proud to know that I am still doing some of the things she taught me! She was my camp counselor a couple of years at summer camp when I was in HS. We also spent a lot of time together outside of camp during this time.

Thanks for taking the time to read, Miss S

2 comments:

Parisjasmal said...

Yup--I would say Carla sure showed you the ropes---HA! I am glad you are still organized girl.

18 was a good year for me too.

xoxo

nowhereok said...

I feel your pain when it comes to the government and red tape!! It is nice to be able to do things on your own though. It's great that you had someone to "show you the ropes." Maybe you could give me some tips!