Writing Hero
Meet our March Writing Hero:Michelle Young
“You can’t write.” This is what I was told after three weeks of assessments by an education professional. I was told that with my learning disability, I should never have graduated from high school and would never graduate from university.
I struggled in school, was told over and over what I was good at and what I wasn’t. I started identifying myself to others in this way and overtime, I started believing it. I went through most of my school life believing I was bad at math, science and history, only to find out much too late, that I learned differently than others. As it turned out, I was actually gifted in other areas, but those were overshadowed by the extreme strength of my learning disability. I say strength, because it has made me a stronger person. My learning disability has only pushed me to work harder—a good trait for a writer.
Understanding how I learned different helped me not to be so hard on myself and I started performing better. Being patient with myself and giving myself more time to complete tasks helped me achieve the same as anyone else, but in my own time. I take different routes, but I get there—I find a way. The only thing I can’t do, is eat citrus. I hope I’ll never be the kind of person to tell someone that they can’t do something. How do you know what someone is capable of? What fires them up?
For me, my moment came at the age of twenty-three, when I was diagnosed with infertility, a disorder that affects one in six couples in Canada. I was one of the youngest women sitting in the waiting room, being judged by everyone who didn’t understand my right to be there. The week I found out I would never be able to have biological children, seeking comfort, I walked into a big chain bookstore to try and learn more about my diagnosis. I came up empty. When I asked the customer service representative if they had any books on infertility, it was the first time I had ever spoken the word out loud. The moment stretched between us as she stared on, literally speechless. They had nothing for me. I left the store, drained of all energy, feeling so disappointed and lost. I decided that night, that if there were no books on infertility available, that I would write one. I didn’t know how I would do it, knowing the extent of my learning disability, but I felt that it was important. It mattered to me and I was hoping my story might help someone else also.
I wanted to write about my journey, my struggles. I was tired of hiding in the shadows and having the world tell me what I could and couldn’t do. I wanted to be a writer—I was determined to find a way to do it. Sure, I had some challenges along the way, but I took my time and eventually, I started seeing progress. I read as much as I could and I wrote every day to improve. I graduated university and even went on to further studies as an adult. I have published two poetry books on my infertility journey, my depression and anxiety struggles. I have many plans for future works and I hope I will find a way to make them come to life. I’m also the proud mom of a beautiful daughter that joined our family three years ago through adoption. Your way might look different, but that’s ok!
Written by: Michelle Young
To learn more about Michelle, you can visit her on the web at:
If you have a Writing Hero story to share, email us your story at thewritingchampionsproject@gmail.com
with a head shot that can be used for publication, for consideration. If your story is selected, you will be notified via email. Stories must be no longer than 3000 words and must be 100 percent TRUE.
