As we celebrate Women’s Month, the EXPRESS shines the light on women who have overcome life’s challenges and touched others through their work.
Kensington Glenoaks Remedial School former learner Caitlin Ogden has overcome her disabilities and is now a teacher’s assistant.
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Her life is testimony to her perseverance and determination. Born prematurely, Caitlin suffered birth trauma. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck, resulting in a lack of oxygen.
She had to be revived and that was the beginning of a life filled with challenges that she had to overcome.
Caitlin was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy, which affected her muscle tone, and there was brain trauma, which impacts intellectual capacity.
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Her parents were advised that more challenges would come, and doctors gave her little chance of walking or talking.
Caitlin is intellectually impaired and partially deaf. She wears hearing aids, suffers from epilepsy, dyslexia and dyspraxia and has very low muscle tone, mild cerebral palsy and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).
Despite all this, she has not allowed life to bring her down.
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“In some ways, life has not been easy and I have had lots of challenges, but I try not to focus on these as a negative but rather see them as something I need to beat. Everybody is faced with their own challenges, so I am not alone. I just have different challenges to deal with,” said Caitlin.
“My epilepsy is the hardest one for me, as I never know when or where I will have a seizure. I feel embarrassed afterwards as I don’t remember what happened. I hate the fact that it impacts on people around me, as they have to help me. One of the toughest things for me was giving up my swimming because my seizures became too bad,” said Caitlin.
Her disabilities have resulted in her missing out on some things in life.
“I have missed out on so many ‘normal’ things that everyday teenagers experience. I don’t have a lot of friends as I went to a very small school and was always the oldest in the class.
“I was the mom of the class, a role I took seriously and often stressed myself out to ensure I was there for everybody,” said Caitlin.
She said people who don’t know about her disabilities tend to treat her differently after finding out about them.
“Outwardly I look normal, so often people would expect more from me, thinking that I’m capable of doing it. When they realise something is not right, they often become uncomfortable and they are not sure how to react and sometimes even treat me differently. I know I have limitations, but I want to be treated like everybody else.
“I am not afraid to tell people that I am intellectually impaired and will always ask for help if I need it,” explained Caitlin.
Her strong character has been one of the things that have helped Caitlin shine in her own way.
“It has taken me 18 years to realise that it is ok to be myself and share my disabilities with others. I know everybody has some sort of struggle in their lives and I want to help where I can. Confidence was a big struggle for me but my swimming, and now my job, has helped with that. I believe in myself,” Caitlin said with confidence.
“I used to be embarrassed by my hearing aids, now I know it helps me, as I have to listen and hear what others are saying so I can help them,” explained Caitlin.
She said overcoming her challenges has been a journey. “Faith, therapy, a positive attitude and discovering who I am played a big role in my life. I now believe in myself and know that I have a purpose in life. I see my disabilities as a gift, as I am able to see and understand children who struggle at school,” said Caitlin.
Her family’s support played a major role in overcoming her challenges. “My family has influenced me, especially my mother. She has been strong throughout my life journey.
“My twin sister, Kristin, has been supportive, and a number of people who have been in my life have played important roles,” said Caitlin.
“Life as a woman is tough in general. You have to feel good on the inside, look pretty on the outside, be strong for others, keep a family together and respect yourself and your body and multi-task lots of things. I am a woman, I just have a few added challenges. I’m a woman before my disabilities,” said Caitlin.
She enjoys talking about her job and what it means to her.
“As long as I can remember, my favourite game was ‘teacher teacher’. Our study at home was my classroom and I lined my dolls up on the chairs and used to teach them. I took all the things that the teachers threw out of their classrooms at the end of the term and carried them home for my own classroom. I have a lot of respect for teachers and the good work they do,” said Caitlin.
She described herself as lucky to have had teachers who believed in her.
Being a teacher’s assistant has allowed her to help other children who are struggling because she understands how it feels.
“God gave me the ability to talk and explain, but even though I can’t do it on paper myself, I can explain how to do it to the children. I love children and being around them.”
She shared some advice to those living with a disabilities.
“Always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you ever imagined. Special needs say it all. You are special. Never forget this.”
She also had a message for women.
“As women, we must stand together and encourage each other, no matter how different we may seem. We all want the same things in life: love, happiness and respect. I have a special message to women with disabilities. Stand tall, walk proud and never give up. Your challenges are only battles that you can overcome,” said Caitlin.
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