THE TWINS OF STEEMIT - INSPIRE AND BE INSPIRED @mariaentela & @annadeda

Thirty-six years ago when I and my sister Hive account@annadeda were born, we got sick with jaundice or ikterus as they called it. The high fever had a very bad impact on our neurological system and as we were twins, Hive account@annadeda 's body weight as a baby was far more lower then mine. This resulted in her never being able to walk or use her hands during the next 36 years of her life. As for me, I was less affected as my weight was more normal and that's why my condition got better and better throughout the years.

And so our parents found themselves with two twin babies in the same condition of disability. To make things clear I would like to mention that at that time my mom was only 19 years old and my father was only 21 years old. They met each other when they were 14 years old and from then on till today they are together - happily together.
I really believe that I have the best parents in the world because instead of thinking and dwelling over what fate had given them they fought back with their heads high. They brought us up with care and immense love teaching us step by step how to deal with our disability and how to feel and to be an equal member of society.

Our mother is psychologist and as she always says that life is more about how you react to what happens to you, rather than what happens in reality. So she showered us with love and taught us that happiness's head is bald from behind, that's why you have to grab it from the hair while it is in front of you, because if it passes you by the chance is lost. For us, it was really hard to realize that in fact, life is not about finding who you really are but creating it instead.

Given that our disability was permanent, we didn't want it to be deadlock point in our lives. For this reason we tried and turned the situation to our advantage by cultivating our spirits and our minds to the fullest. We learned how to infuse every day of our life with positivity by being grateful to look ourselves in the mirror every morning and smile. Later on we would understand that the only sure thing in this life is death and that is doubtful that you really live just because you breathe.

In a jiffy, we were at age for schooling and as you can imagine, the thought of incorporating ourselves in a school with normal children should have been terrifying. Of course having parents and grandparents who has dedicated a big part of their life to studying, we were always prepared and aware that education is one of the most powerful weapons that can help you change your life and the world as well. From a little age our mother mentioned to us the two different realities about education. That is to say, she told us that the road of education is rough but arriving to your destination is the sweetest fruit you will ever have.

But how can you adapt yourself in school full of normal children? And this is when our grandpa comes in the picture being a powerful Judge and having to cope with many difficulties to climb to the top he always said to us that real champions are always able to adopt themselves in every environment. So with that in mind and thinking of it as a powerful shield we entered the school and successfully graduated from it having the best results.
It's widely known that it's not enough how much you improve yourself when you don't have that special friendship next to you in your life.

In light of that, friendship is something to be really priced in our life. Having a lot of friends that accepted us for who we are, is one of the things that we are proud of in our life. Meeting friends who cherish our hopes and dreams leaded us to where we are and who we are today. In reality I cannot even imagine how life could be without our friends and without those special people who appreciated our spirit and hearts overlooking the difference in walking or moving.

After thirty-six years I have learned to live as a paraplegic and Hive account@annadeda has learned to live as a quadriplegic. Having learned to live with our disabilities we were able to grow normally, have a lot of friends, studying at Universities, learning foreign languages, being in love, getting married and in general conquering life with success.

You surely are asking why did I decided to share this with you now…. A very good question !

The answer is simple..… Let me tell you about a fantastic person who advised me do share my life experience with you. She made me realize that the mission of our lives is not only to live and survive but the true mission is to inspire and be inspired. Many years volunteering in many institutions for disabled children I was focused mostly in "what I do for others" but this special person made me understand that it is equally important to focus on sharing your experience, so that through inspiring you can also help others. Therefore, please allow me to say a big thank you to this beautiful soul.

In the final analysis life is roller coaster with its ups and downs. it is a simple process but many times we tend to complicate it. So be happy, always smile say thank you and be grateful, because life is a privilege that many people are not lucky enough to have.

annadeda THE CHAMPION OF MY HEART
THE LADY IN RED ! @mariaentela
Bruce Gilden - Photographer's weekly dedication by @otsouvalas #2


At this point I would like to share with you a special post writen by my sister, Paralympic winner at Rio 2016. I believe it really worth to spend some time.
The hard work to accomplish your goal - Tokio 2020 Paralympic games Boccia