"My life has been about self-discovery, about understanding and staying true to myself. The challenges, the pain, and the journey of not knowing about something I was born with continually shaped my reality, until I was able to change it. It’s a journey I didn't think I'd see or take in my lifetime."

Living with a disability has given me resilience and insight. It has shown me the importance of patience, self-compassion, understanding and kindness to myself. I have slowly over the years learned to see my journey, not as something to fight against, but as something to walk alongside with grace.

The CP Diary is more than just words on a page – it's a reflection of my truth, raw and unfiltered, it's had to be, I was given no choice – over a disability I didn't know about – but it's also a reflection of the universal truths that we all get to deal with. It's a space where I can also be honest about the world's struggles, and acknowledge where I have personally gained strength to help me overcome some of my own struggles. It's been a difficult, an impossible journey, a journey where I have come to love who I am, not in spite of my experiences, but because of my experiences.

My life has never been about chasing an ideal, or trying to be someone I'm not. It’s about recognising my worth. My growth has meant evolving through awareness, acceptance, and the understanding that I am enough.

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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