“When I was little I’d have like five seizures a day. It was...

“When I was little I’d have like five seizures a day.  It was horrible and I was always scared.  But one week after my eleventh birthday, my mom and dad decided to get me brain surgery.  Now I don’t have to worry about seizures and falling all the time.  But I can only use one arm now.  And because of the surgery there’s a lot of stuff I don’t know if I can do, like living on my own and stuff.  I met Katie at the Special Olympics office.  We’re part of a program where you team up with someone who doesn’t have a disability and become like best buds and stuff.  At first I didn’t know what to do because, you know, new people.  But then it was like OK, I’m making a new friend.  A real friend.  We only see each other every couple weeks, but we’ve watched so much Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  And we have so many inside jokes.  And we even have our own hashtag.  And without Katie, I don’t know man.  It would be just like it was before, but I wouldn’t have somebody to do this stuff with.  I’m having a really hard time right now.  My brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he’s going through so much and it’s so, so hard.  And sometimes he calls me names but I know he doesn’t mean it.  And it’s just so hard.  But whenever I feel down and stuff, I can just go in my room and think about all the fun memories I have with Katie.”
(Special Olympics World Games, Abu Dhabi, UAE)