About Azucena

MY STORY

My name is Azucena Garcia. I live in San Diego, CA, where I was born and raised, and walking is not my native language. Even the slightest crack, curve, or uneven surface brings my 5'4 stature tumbling down to the ground like a Jenga tower. The cause of my abnormal gait and reduced fine motor skills is not overtly evident to the outside world, which often assumes I was in a car accident. "No, that's not it; I was not in a car accident; I have Cerebral Palsy," I tell people when they come up to me.

At the tender age of two, I was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia due to Cerebral Palsy, which means I have have muscle spasms - spasticity - on both of my legs. Spasms and chronic leg pain have been my constant companions all these years.

WHAT CAUSED THIS?

I was born six months and weighed only two pounds, and the next day, I was down to one pound. At birth, I was immediately separated from my mother, Martha, and put into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I had not received enough oxygen to the brain, which then caused my CP. 

Almost immediately after my birth, the doctor told my parents, "I don't think your baby girl is going to make it past two weeks." It was heartbreaking for my mother and my father, who, after hearing this, only visited me once in the NICU. 

I was placed in the middle of two baby boys. To the left, one with a severe heart condition, and to the right, the other with a brain tumor. Both were expected to die, and I, along with them.

Thirty-five years and 18 orthopedic surgeries later, here I am, against all the odds. Despite all the challenges along the way, I have lived a life full of adventures! After graduating from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with a degree in Communications, I moved to Spain (Vigo) to work as a teaching assistant, traveled to 17 different countries (so far), worked as a production coordinator in TV and film for eight years, participated in a reality show to be the next ESPN Reporter for the 2010 World Cup (here is one video, It seems ages ago! I was 21 years old at the time) to name a few things. And yes! I love sports, especially soccer, tennis, F1 and boxing!

By equal measure, I have a deep love for Latin American magical realism. Often, I get lost in the pages of Carpentier, Borges, Cortazar, Rulfo, and, of course, Garcia Marquez! I love magical realism because it incorporates the fantastic and sublime with the everyday and ordinary.

Anyway, back to my Cerebral Palsy (did I mention I also have ADHD?), as I have grown older, I have realized that having Cerebral Palsy (or any disability) comes with many questions but not enough answers. Having a disability is very challenging. Some days, it is incredibly tough and painful for me to get out of bed and put a brave face to the world, and I won’t lie; sometimes I feel like giving up, but I do not! I keep moving forward no matter what challenges life throws at me. 

I have never allowed my disability to define who I am or limit my imagination or my dreams because I believe that what truly defines us and sets us apart in this world are not our abilities or disabilities but our attitudes, our choices, and our ability to dream! And to pursue those dreams.

By sharing my story, resources, and information about Cerebral Palsy, I hope to raise awareness about CP and make this world more accesible and inclusive for those of us with disabilities.

Thank you for stopping by to know a little bit more about me! Please feel free to contact me anytime! If you are in San Diego, I am happy to meet for coffee!

Love,
Azucena Garcia