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By: Krystina | #WheelStrong

Even though my Mother’s Day started with no electricity,

a freezing cold shower,

and a bed stuck in a permanent “U” shape (the only way I can sleep these days)…

I’ve never been more grateful to be alive.

This morning, I woke up to my daughter proudly handing me the gift she and Travis made.

I read the beautiful words she posted on her social media…

and nothing…. not one thing….can ruin this day.

My heart is too full.

Too grateful.

Too loved.

People tell me all the time:

“You’re such an amazing mom.”

“I don’t know how you do it….never mind do it alone.”

But I know what they’re really looking at:

my wheelchair.

Since becoming disabled, I’ve had to face more snap judgments about my parenting than ever before.

Ignorant comments like:

“You have kids? Who takes care of them?”

“Your kids live with you? By yourself?”

As if my physical disability somehow means I can’t be a mother.

As if raising children is something you can’t do unless you’re standing.

Let me say this loud:

My disability doesn’t define my capability.

And truthfully, I wouldn’t be able to do half of what I do if I’d stayed zombified on all the meds they tried to keep me on.

But I fought back…for them.

And every single day, I’m reminded why.

Because these two beautiful, intelligent, compassionate little humans?

They’ve been through hell right alongside me.

And they’ve never once let me feel like less.

They are my warriors.

My teammates.

My biggest fans.

They are the love I searched my whole life for.

All the affection I never received as a child…

all the love I begged for from past relationships…

everything I thought I was missing?

I get it in full…every day…from them.

Being a mom is hard.

Being a mom when you’ve never had a good one to learn from?

Even harder.

Being a mom while surviving a spinal cord injury?

Let’s just say… it takes a level of strength most people will never understand.

But being their mom?

That gives me all the strength I’ll ever need.

It’s us against the world.

And I will fight every battle for them……with everything I’ve got.

Because I know I’m not just fighting for me.

I’m fighting for our future.

So to my babies…….

I love you to the moon and back.

You complete me in ways I never thought possible.

And to all the beautiful moms out there……disabled or not……

Happy Mother’s Day.

Your strength matters. Your love matters. You matter