SLP Mommy of Apraxia

Tag: Ronda Rousey

  • The day I met Ronda Rousey, and she told my sister to “keep fighting” for her words!

    The day I met Ronda Rousey, and she told my sister to “keep fighting” for her words!

    Hi Katerina!

    I’m so excited to have you here today.  I saw in the Ronda Rousey #knockoutparaxia your mom posted a video of you attending a Women’s Leadership Conference in Chicago where you were able to ask Ronda a question about apraxia and meet her in person.  Can you explain to my readers why you wanted to go to this?

    Back in May, I was sitting at my school’s awards assembly when I got a text from my mom, telling me that I had been invited to the Astellas Women in Action conference in Chicago by a family friend who works for Astellas. My first reaction was “OMG, yeah!” I couldn’t tell my mom though, because I wasn’t even allowed to have my phone! (oops.) My mom was so anxious for an answer she came to my assembly and found me in the bleachers! It was a huge opportunity that a girl like me doesn’t get very often, so I said yes right away!

    Before the conference, the company launched an app that connected everyone attending. It was a smart idea, because there were people flying in all around the world for this conference. And in the app, you could compete in little “competitions” with everyone. There was an “Ask Robin” and “Ask Ronda” competition, as well as a selfie contest. The “Ask Ronda” contest was the only one I competed in, and I only entered one question. “My sister has been diagnosed with apraxia, a disability you once had. From your experience, what can I do to help her succeed?” And that was the beginning of this amazing experience.

    I think it’s so amazing that as a sibling you have so much concern for your younger sister you were prompted to go to this.  In the video you took, I heard you holding back tears.  We don’t often think about how apraxia can affect the siblings.  Can you tell us why you were so emotional?

    Well, I had a bit of a rocky start at the conference. My flight had been canceled, my mom and I drove to Chicago instead, and I was very tired. I had a whirlwind of emotions all weekend, and when Robin Roberts announced her name, I immediately started crying! And that was even before the interview! I had no idea that the one question I submitted would be chosen out of hundreds, and the way Ronda answered it answered a lot of personal questions I had. I knew how to help my sister when she was younger, but I have no idea how to help her now and in the future. My little sister is in first grade, and other kids are already asking one of my brothers (grade 4) why his little sister is stupid. And it hurts because I had no idea how to help her succeed. But thanks to Ronda, I know how, and just the thought of that makes me very happy and emotional.

    You were able to go back and meet Ronda! What was that experience like?  What was Ronda like?

    The whole experience was just amazing. When I walked into the room for the photo opportunities, I immediately started crying again. I made a security guard tear up a little bit too! Actually, I don’t think I stopped crying until that afternoon because the whole experience was so surreal. Ronda was so sweet the entire time and kept hugging me, and telling me I was an amazing older sister for asking my question.

    What did you learn (if anything) from this experience?

    I had no idea my little 2 minute video would affect so many people, and it puts into perspective how many families have loved ones with apraxia, and are going through the same things my family is. I’m so glad I could help others with my own experiences!

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    Autographed picture by Ronda Rousey encouraging Katerina’s sister to “keep fighting!.”

    You experience resonated with so many parents and families!  For me, I can so appreciate your description of Ronda.  She was the same with me and my daughter; sweet, kind, and genuine!  Thank you for telling your story.  You are obviously an AMAZING young woman, and your sister is so lucky to have you in her corner!

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  • Why I fight: Inspiration from Ronda Rousey

    Ever since I met Ronda Rousey May 29th, 2015 –  the response I received from my post has been my most popular post ever by far!   Since that time, I went on to read her book and became more inspired than I could have ever imagined. Though she didn’t mention her speech impediment was apraxia in her book, I still had her promise from that night, saying she would say it was apraxia in every interview forward, ringing in my ears.

    As I have gone onto read more about her, I realized there couldn’t be a hand-picked better person to represent our kids with apraxia.

    On the surface she seems like a bruiser.  She’s made comments like “I’m going to break her arm and I won’t care,” that haven’t gone over well in the press.  In case you’re wondering, that’s why her fight song is “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett.  She has said she doesn’t care about her reputation, which also hasn’t gone over well in the press.    In another interview she said she doesn’t have PR people telling her what to say, and she doesn’t want them to.  I think it’s brilliant.  Kids with apraxia work so hard to say anything at all, I admire her for saying what she wants to say now.  She worked for it.  She deserves it.

    As her fight August 1st draws near, I tried to rally the apraxia community to hashtag all night to get her to be a champion for our kids too.  People were excited, but then they began to worry.

    “Has she ever actually said she had apraxia?”

    “Are you sure she has apraxia?

    “What if she doesn’t want to say she had apraxia?  Shouldn’t this be a personal decision?”

    I understand their worry.  I could very well be perceived as “outing” her. She could be mortified.  Even worse she could be angry, and I DO know you don’t want to piss Ronda Rousey off (excuse my language)!

    Here’s what I do know though in her own words.  Ronda Rousey doesn’t

    “give a damn about her reputation” and in her book she says,

    “I fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.”

    I know that when she finally succeeded in making a store clerk realize that the “balgrin” she wanted for Christmas was Hulk Hogan, she learned,

    “This was an early lesson on the importance of always believing that if I wanted something bad enough and tried hard enough, I could make it happen.”

    I know she made the president of the UFC eat his words because of her persistence when he promised her women would never fight in the UFC.  I have to believe she won’t be mad at my persistence, but see something she has in herself.

    I know that she said when her mother moved her from California to North Dakota, she described it as

    “this arrangement would provide an opportunity for me to find my voice – literally”  before CASANA ever existed and coined the term “Every Child Deserves a Voice.”

    I know that she quoted her grandma as saying,

    “God knows what He’s doing, even when you don’t,”

    and I have to believe He was involved when I read one interview that sparked my interest and that night I was standing in line at a book signing where she looked at me incredulously and said,

    “Apraxia.  Yes?  This is what they think I had,” before posting the apraxia brochure I gave her a short two hours later on her facebook and twitter accounts.

    I know Ronda is far from ashamed of her personal struggles.  If she were, she wouldn’t have so openly admitted all of them in her book from dealing with her father’s suicide, to battling self-esteem issues as a child, to falling into bulimia, or to living in her car.  In fact, if you read her book, that’s why she fights. She doesn’t hide her struggles,  she’ll beat your ass if you even accidentally insult them.  In her own words:

    “I am a fighter. …..it has been that way since I was born. I fought for my first breath. I fought for my first words. I fight to make the people who love me proud. To make the people who hate me seethe. I fight for anyone who has ever been lost, who has ever been left, or who is battling their own demons. Life is a fight from the minute you take your first breath to the moment you exhale your last. You have to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves.”

    I know that in an interview leading up to her fight in Brazil, she was asked why she didn’t ask for it to be in the States, and she replied she had promised the people of Brazil she would be back and she said,

    “I’m a woman of my word,”

    further reminding me of her words when she looked me straight in the eye that night when I asked her if she would say apraxia instead of speech impediment here on out and she said,

    “I will.  I really will.”

    If she denies it, I will fully accept the mia culpa.  I will be devastated, but the blame is on me.  I will own it.

    I have to say though, that devastation is still worth the risk.  It’s still worth pursuing.  I fight too.  I fought for my daughter to find her voice.  I fought and still fight to get her the services that she needs.  I fight every day in my job for each one of my clients to also find their voice.  I fight for this now, because apraxia needs a face.  I fight for this because I want to tell my daughter and my clients that not only can they beat apraxia and live like any ordinary person, but if they want to, they can go on to be extraordinary too…just like Ronda Rousey.

    Will you join me?  Tweet, facebook, or instagram August 1st with the hashtags: #UFC190 #herfightourfight #knockoutapraxia #strongerthanapraxia #tapoutapraxia

     

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