Hello, friends. This is my first topic here, and I have a sort of burning question on my mind. I was born with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism. In spite of that, I just wanted to grow up and be “normal”. But I couldn’t be, I’m not. I feel like the closest thing I could’ve come to it was at least growing up independent. I got my first paying job at 21 after being turned down repeatedly for the past couple of years beforehand and resorting to volunteer jobs for experience. I was 14 when my guidance counselor told me that due to me condition, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the other kids. I set out to prove her wrong, but after seven months on the job, several factors played a part in a brain injury that left me disabled and nearly in a vegetative state (I was either catatonic or comatose for 6 days). My condition was regarded as one of them, and we found out some months later that I had been deteriorating from cancer. I’m in remission now, and have been for just over 17 months, but the problem is that I still have poor health. I’m still disabled. I also have a back/shoulder injury that’s only worsening and could cost me the use of my left arm, and the cancer essentially knocked me out of the running as far as my career of choice goes, but overall, I’m still, loathe as I am to say it, strongly dependent on my parents at the age of 25. Part of me just wants to quietly accept that this is just how it’s going to be, but another part of me wants to just keep fighting. I feel trapped and tired. Should I continue to fight? Is it realistic, is it viable to not want to give up, or would it be best if I just sat down and accepted that I’m going to be a dependent forever?
Hey there.
I’m not very good at giving advice to people, but all I can say is to KEEP FIGHTING!!! No matter what… JUST. KEEP. FIGHTING.