My name is Carlos Silva, I am 46 years old, I live in Odeceixe, I have had cerebral palsy since I was born and I walk in a wheelchair. I have been working at IPSS Neci since 201...
My name is Carlos Silva, I am 46 years old, I live in Odeceixe, I have had cerebral palsy since I was born and I walk in a wheelchair. I have been working at IPSS Neci since 2014, I drive 110 km a day in my car to go to work. In 2019 I finished my degree in Social Education and I have been a dancer at Academia Dança Mais in Portimão since 2014.
Due to my physical limitations, I am unable to travel without a car to work, as well as to other socio-cultural, recreational and educational activities such as dance and acrobatic gymnastics.
My current car is already 14 years old and is 370,000 km long. According to the workshop's technical report, my car is reaching the end of its useful life. This information makes me very worried, so I can't wait for a breakdown or something more serious to happen one day, to buy a new car.
Unfortunately, I don't have the financial conditions that allow me to buy a car, which I consider to be an essential and indispensable asset in my case, as without it I can't move.
Given the above information, I appeal to your sensitivity and generosity to raise funds for a new car.
Thank you very much.
About the author
February 22, 1975, this date was the most important in my life, but also the most tragic. I was born on this day at my parents' house in Odeceixe, at that time there were no medical resources available today and births were carried out at home.
My mother had a difficult birth, when I was being born I was trapped and unable to breathe, due to that lack of oxygen to the brain I had cerebral palsy. When I left for this world I was already handicapped with cerebral palsy, because inside my mother's womb I was completely healthy and healthy.
At the age of 6, in 1981 I entered the Odeceixe Kindergarten. From that time on, I began to be accompanied by a special education support teacher, teacher Mª. Eduarda. I had no intellectual and learning difficulties, but there was a need for this teacher to develop new working methods with me due to my physical limitations.
Over time, after painting and drawing work, Eduarda started teaching me letters, I learned everything very quickly. When we got to the writing stage, problems started to appear, I couldn't write with my hand, we tried in all shapes and sizes, but we didn't get positive results.
Faced with this problem, we had to find a way for me to be able to write, Eduarda, after a lot of effort due to the lack of technological resources at that time, managed to acquire an electric typewriter. From that moment on, light came on, I finally managed to write, it was our first victory.
In 1983 I entered the Primary School of Odeceixe, I was 8 years old and could not walk alone. My mother, with great sacrifice, took me to school, when she walked the streets with me in her arms, people asked her:
_ Why do you take the kid to school if he doesn't learn anything? He should have been going to a special school or boarding school!
Today I am 46 years old, I live in Odeceixe and I use a wheelchair. I have been working at IPSS Neci since 2014, I drive 110 km a day in my car to go to work. In 2019 I finished my degree in Social Education and I have been a dancer at Academia Dança Mais in Portimão since 2014.
For many I'm a hero, an example of life, for others I'm a crap handicapped person. I am Carlos, the person, the worker, the friend and the dancer.
It doesn't matter if I'm in a wheelchair, donkey or doing handstands. The most important thing for me is to feel good, do what I like and be with the people I like. And what I like most is helping and making other people smile The limitations are within each one of us and if you fold your arms and say you can't, then you won't do anything at all.
I leave you below some videos of mine and thank you very much.
The surprise - https://youtu.be/cKGWmdNfbe8
A million dreams - https://youtu.be/MHpHosSYn40
My current car - https://youtu.be/6w0XlFqbyd4
