. . . KATIE DUNPHY ‘Abused, written off, then I found my inner author
GROWING up I was always the underdog. I’ve been bullied, abused, discriminated against and written off by the so-called “professionals”.
Seven years ago, I became very ill after having a severe seizure and have needed CPR on at least six separate occasions.
Unfortunately, it became so frequent that my dad, Denis, and my younger sister,
Abbie, had to devise a life-saving regime: My sister would pull out the CPR plug to deflate my bed and call 999 whilst my dad performed CPR –perfectly every time. My mum, Lesley, is bedbound and would be watching on a baby monitor.
Can you imagine how she felt seeing me in such a dire way and not be able to do anything other than watch on feeling helpless? She would be desperately calling my name as my dad pushed on my chest to keep me alive.
I lost the ability to walk, speak, write and was confined to a wheelchair. I had to relearn everything, even what most would consider the most basic things. My loving family wore name badges as I couldn’t recognise them; I can never thank them enough for all the love and support they gave and continue to give.
I had lost who I was, my identity. I felt useless and lost. All I had was my laptop and my imagination so I started to type and discovered my inner author.
I now have two novels published – When Worlds Collide and Wild Poison – and a poetry book, World Through Autistic Eyes.
I was diagnosed with autism when I was
15. People often say, “You’re not autistic, the correct term is you have autism”, but to me, I am autistic because it’s part of who I am; a lot of my quirks and personality is heavily influenced by my autism.
When I got the diagnosis I felt relieved yet frustrated at the same time. I was relieved that there’s a reason why I’m “different” but frustrated that it took so many years for me to get the diagnosis.
Lifehouse Liverpool, 0151 709 0121
KATIE, an author and poet, lives with epilepsy, autism, functional neurological disorder, learning disabilities, joint hypermobility syndrome, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, cerebral palsy, and a rare platelet function disorder.
I feel like autism can hold me back in some ways. I can’t work so I can’t earn to help my family as they have helped me, and I feel like I can’t be a proper big sister to my younger sister.
Also, I can’t go out without a carer or family member and socialise on my own as having autism often makes this difficult, and I feel lonely even when I’m surrounded by people. My home can feel like Lime Street Station as there are always carers around, but no matter how busy home can be, I still feel alone.
I think autistic people see the world in a different way. My autism, along with my other conditions, has given me some form of a creative edge/advantage.
I hope my story will help others who feel alone. You aren’t your “struggles” or “disadvantages”: you are who you want to be.
Our family motto is Never Back Down, Never Give Up. Remember, anything is possible if you put your mind to it.