Cindy2

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Hello World!

My name is Cindy. If you look at my picture and think to yourself, my, she looks a little weird. Well, you'd be right because I am weird. You see, I went camping to Lake Elsinore almost 30 years ago now, 2 months after the birth of my son, and on that camping trip, I was bitten by a mosquito. That mosquito was carrying the Viral Encephalitis virus. The virus put me in a coma for 3 months. When I woke from that coma, I couldn't walk, talk, eat or do anything. It was like I was a baby all over again, but in a 21 year old body.

I learned how to walk again, but it is still kind of funny looking. I learned how to eat again, but it is very messy. But no matter what I tried, I still cannot talk clearly enough for the average person to understand me. Oh, I have people who are close to me like my mother, my son and my husband they can understand my speech (we call my speech "Cindyese"). So, I use a voice synthesizer much like the one Stephen Hawking uses, but mine has a female voice (of course).

Oh yeah, I want to get back to the 'weird' aspect of my life. The doctors back in 1982 when this all happened to me said I would not live past my 30th birthday because everyone else who contracted Viral Encephalitis either recovered fully or died. I did neither, so I am weird! And guess how old I am now? I am 50 years old, so I showed all of those naysayer doctors. I like to say, I am 20 years past due! And of course, I am working on being 21 years and 22 years and 23 years, etc. past due! Thus, I am WEIRD, but in a good way.

Thanks for taking the time to read my life story!

Cindy

PS I have been getting questions on why my head is tilted to the left so far. It is because I now have severe cervical dystonia. Cervical dystonia is a very painful condition that forces the muscles of your neck in weird positions, but I work through it.