NC athlete with cerebral palsy doesn’t need easy. She just needs things to be possible -...

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NC athlete with cerebral palsy doesn’t need easy. She just needs things to be possible Raleigh News & Observer

Michelle Ballasiotes was in the womb when she heard her first “no.” In an ultrasound, doctors found a brain abnormality – hydrocephalus, the buildup of fluid in the brain. Doctors recommended to her mother, Mary Kay, that her pregnancy be terminated. Her mother said “no.” After Ballasiotes was born, doctors realized she had had a stroke in the womb. An exploding blood vessel in her head left a hole in her brain. It also prevented any further growth in the area, leaving her with life-long limited fine-motor skills.

At 3 years old, she was diagnosed with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) in the right side of her body. Now an adult, Ballasiotes can get frustrated by the paralysis in her right hand and leg, though she considers herself lucky it is contained to one side of her body and that the stroke left her with few cognitive limitations. “I get frustrated because I do feel more limited because of my disability, and I’m still trying to figure out how I can work around it,” said Ballasiotes, now 25 years old.

Limited by her paralysis, she deals with a weak grip, frequent blisters on her foot, and the lack of consideration she and others with disabilities face from society every day. But Ballasiotes grins and moves on. Literally. She rides cyclocross, a competitive-cross between ...

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