One of the best things that resulted from the Blogathon — apart from the whooping 800 dollars that were raised, thanks to ALL my sponsors — would be the wonderful relationship between Karen and I. Karen left me a comment in one of my Blogathon posts, and briefly introduced herself as “a 56-year-old woman with Cerebral Palsy and a learning disability”.

I responded to her email and since then, we have been exchanging emails almost on a daily basis. I told her about my Master’s project, I showed her pictures of the place I am living in, my university, my recent trip to Chiang Mai, and she told me a little about her condition, her loving husband, and how she is learning the ropes of blogging.

Too often in my life, I have not been taken seriously. I have been looked down upon, and conveniently tossed aside because I was passionate about what I felt, and believed in, and how I wanted to expand my life. Deep down within me, I wanted to be accepted in this world and participate in life just like everyone else — I wanted my thoughts and feeling to matter, and I wanted to be considered just like everyone else.

But I was belittled, made fun of, and ostracized, I have walked the line, gone the distance, and crossed hurdles that most might think are the unthinkable! I have stayed as positive and strong as I could to survive and thrive amongst the rest! Somehow, someway, I had to and still have to make a difference in my life, to be the best person I can be, and give back to life and all mankind what I have learned…

If I have to fight the rest of my life to succeed, I will — because there is no stopping me!

- Karen Lynn @ Whispers of Thought

Karen is a truly remarkable woman. She is the author The Broken Hoof (available @ Barnes and Noble) which tells a warm, inspiring story about a young disabled girl who finds friendship and companionship in a carousel horse. This story demonstrates the daily challenges and achievement of growing up with a disability.

Now if you have a couple of minutes to spare, would you please drop by Karen’s blog and give her some comment-love?? The blog is still very new and may not have much reading materials at the moment, but I’m sure she’s working very hard on her contents :) Plus, she is new to blogging and she’s currently experiencing some problems with Typepad but I am in no position to offer any assistance. Does any of my readers blog on Typepad, and wouldn’t mind assisting Karen with her inquiries??

Related sites:

1. Karen’s website — Whispers of Hope
2. Karen’s blog — Whispers of Thought