PEPSI CHALLENGE

Image via Wikipedia

I have enrolled in the Pepsi Challenge to fund a project to aid people with physical or mental disabilities to pursue their passion as a route to their personal recovery. When I needed a program like this in my area, none were available. There were programs for mentally challenged adults but not for high functioning adults.
Having suffered more than 4 years of Agoraphobia I managed to create my own recovery with the help of a highly competent and supportive therapist and a Psychiatrist.
I hope that everyone will vote for me to have Pepsi fund my program.
My recovery was a combination of finding ways to step outside of my comfort zone by testing the waters with different passions that I never even knew I had. I combined different craft ideas with meditation, power walking and eventually the freedom to workout at a gym, drive, and be away from home for hours on end, a feat I never thought I could overcome.
We all have passions and sometimes it takes going all the way down in our life before we discover them. I have found that there is a vitally creative side of recovery and when a person expands on that phase of realization, recovery begins and one is able to thrive. Help me help those that need it. Vote for me in the Pepsi Challenge starting on May 1, 2010. OUR GRATITUDE PEPSI CHALLENGE

WILLIAMS SYNDROME

Image by Pensiero via Flickr William Syndrome is a rare disorder caused by missing genes. The disorder which affects 1 in 7500 people has distinctive psychological and physical effects. People with Williams can live full and healthy lives, but they do experience cardiovascular and other physical symptoms related to the disorder. Before 1980, people were considered mentally handicapped but later researchers were able to note, although that had difficulty with math skills, writing, and negotiating space, their language skills were rather good they were friendly, talkative and outgoing. People with Williams are able to maintain intensive eye contact with other people, and can easily engage strangers in conversation. However, these traits can often get them in trouble, because Williams Syndrome patients lack a sense of irony, cannot read facial expressions well, and are unable to see malicious intent.In other words they lack a theory of mind-they are unable to see things from another person's perspective.
To learn more about William Syndrome Go to The Williams Syndrome Association.