Michelle Gelles of Johnstown, PA, is our featured participant this month and we are eager to share her story with you.

Growing up, Michelle had a normal life. She was surrounded by a loving and supporting family that never treated her any different and her Cerebral Palsy was not something that held her back from doing the things she wanted to do. Michelle was mainstreamed in school and it wasn’t until high school that she had started realizing how her disability made her different than others and the bullying began. To this day, Michelle is not bitter about the way she was treated, instead her perspective is that people just don’t know how to interact with people who are different, therefore, her and her friends tended to be the brunt of their mean comments and actions. Fortunately, Michelle had the support of her family and close friends to fall back on.

After high school, Michelle knew that she wanted to go to college. Even though Cerebral Palsy makes it difficult to do many day-to-day tasks, she decided to enroll in college at Edinboro University which meant living in a college dorm away from her family for the first time. This brought several trials and new experiences that made her realize she needed help that she was not able to get from the resources on campus. After some time, Michelle had decided that it would be best to move back home and attend a local college where she would be able to commute back and forth. Michelle graduated with her Bachelors in Secondary Education and a Minor in Communications holding a 4.0 GPA at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Just a few years later, Michelle would commute to Indiana University of Pennsylvania everyday with another student to complete her Masters in Adult Communication.

Michelle works as an Instructional Designer to write and created coursework for online classes. She has held part-time and full-time jobs, working with local and online companies. Michelle has been able to experience the socialization aspect of the full-time workplace, where she was able to go out to eat with them for lunch or go out after work for drinks and karaoke. Because Michelle’s CP causes her to type and write at a slower pace which requires her to work and think twice as hard and it takes a toll on her body, she now works part-time from home for the Southern New Hampshire University creating coursework for online Business classes.

Every dream that Michelle has held and opportunity she has been given, she has taken it. Due to her determination, desire to learn, and supportive family, Michelle has been able to live a full life and achieve her life goals. When Michelle needed an accessible vehicle and an adaptive bathtub, she saved the money to purchase them. Like all the things that Michelle has, she has worked hard for them and she’s asked for help when she needed it. Michelle has taken her blessings and difficulties for what they were and learned how to adapt to them.

In sharing Michelle’s story with you, our hope is to inspire you to take each opportunity you are given and use it to the best of your ability. No matter your situation, you are able to achieve your dreams, don’t let them slip by.

“It can be scary [to try new things], but it is even worse to deny your opportunities than to take them.”
– Michelle Gelles 

This month our featured participant is Deb Hockenberry from Altoona, PA. For 30 years, Deb’s doctors had diagnosed her with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), however, after not having many answers they found out that is was a misdiagnosis for Spinocerebella Ataxia (SCA). Spinocerebella is a slowly progressive incoordination of gait and is often associated with poor coordination of hands, speech, and eye movements. SCA is often confused with MS but is even more uncommon and is yet to have a cure. The biggest struggle Deb faces is the judgement of others. To most, her diagnosis is invisible, she looks healthy and can do many things on her own, however, behind her smile and strength is the pain that she feels daily due to her condition.

Getting the chance to talk with Deb, you quickly see her determination and edge. In fact, she recently released her first-ever children’s book, “Where Can We Have the Party?” The topic of her book was something that she has thought about for years, she would read books as a child and wonder why there were not many about talking animals going to a party. So, she decided she would write the book herself. Once she began, she learned that it was not as simple as she thought. You must learn the correct grammar and punctuation that is used to write children’s books. She took classes online and reached out to publishers and businesses to get her book published and sold. The book is illustrated by her friend, Emily Dimov-Gottshall, with watercolor paint. Deb even designed the layout of the book on her own using an online site and the illustrations from Emily. Finally, after years of putting in hard work and waiting, she is now a children’s book author.

On May 12th, 2018, Deb will be presenting and selling her book at the first-ever Altoona Book Festival. During this event, a dance group will choreograph the reading of her book. If you’re in the area and available that day, be sure to stop by the Altoona Library to meet and talk to Deb to learn about her love for Harry Potter and her cat, Harry (yes, after the Potter).

A piece of advice Deb would like to share to our readers is to “Never give up. If there’s something you want to do, you’ll do it.” There’s no limit when you have your heart set on something. Disabled or not, chase after your dreams and never give up. Deb is an intelligent and loving woman, she sought after her dreams and accomplished them. You can too. As her Service Coordination Agency, we are so thrilled at the achievements that she’s reached so far and are excited to see what the future has in store for her.
If you would like to order a copy of “Where Can We Have the Party?” you can find it on Amazon.com. You can also visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AuthorDebHockenberry to learn more about Deb and find out where her next appearances are and information about her future books!