The Outcast by Stephanie Holmberg
Disabled and Outcast I felt like an outcast growing up. I was born with a disability that made me deal with hardship at an early age. I was unable to participate in physical activity the way other kids could. There was no jump rope or hopscotch, no sports of any kind, or even P.E. Two Club Feet I was born with a severe case of what is called bilateral club foot . Both of my feet were twisted in such a way that I might not ever be able to walk properly without surgery. I have undergone six surgeries in my life to correct the medical condition. Surgery was needed to adjust the tendons, ligaments and joints in my foot and ankle. Then there were casts while it healed, followed by braces. The Road to Depression The road was long and difficult. It led into years of clinical depression as a teenager, and that awful belief that I was an outcast. Excluded and rejected by others, I look back now and realize how lucky I was to have the love and support of my family. If it were not