Hello everyone, I am Michael Sylvia. I live in the small world, like most of you reading this are, which we know as East Greenwich. What makes me different? Well, I still nervously sprint up the stairs at night because I swear there's a monster chasing me. Actually, before I kick off this whole introduction, let me explain something. I am a novice when it comes to blogs. To be honest, I feel so egotistic writing this. Who else writes about themselves other than "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and others like them? Although, come to think of it, East Greenwich isn't too far off from the big OC.

Now that's out of the way, I'll buckle down. I'm 16 years old, and I have two main conditions. One I'm more open about than the other. I'll start off with Cerebral Palsy. Don't worry – it's not contagious! It is a brain injury which usually occurs at birth. All cases are different because the brain can be injured in many different places. Luckily for me, none of my vital functions have been injured, although I do have a residual mild speech impediment and a walking gate of a zombie. But hey, it's all good. Besides Cerebral Palsy, I also have Dystonia, which is a movement disorder that causes my muscles to spasm. This is responsible for my sometimes robot-like movements.

I have tried to better these symptoms with various treatments and operations. One of my more invasive surgeries took place in September, 2011. Some of you may remember this, as I blogged here and there when I had the chance. The surgery entailed two probes being placed inside my brain that are attached to leads that connect to battery packs located in my stomach, so not only do I move like a robot, I'm also battery powered much like a robot. Bummer that I don't have any rocket powered feet or anything.

All in all, my life isn't as hard as you might think. No, I'm not saying this to make myself sound heroic, tis the truth. I will be discussing these and other topics in future blogs if the feedback is there. It doesn't need to be all positive; criticism is always welcome. Also, in essence, I just need to know I'm not writing for an imaginary audience. I would be happy to discuss growing up with a disability and things I have done to improve the quality of my life.



- Michael