Pretty For A Crippled Girl
By Teri Siri

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Teri spent much of her early life moving frequently with her young, divorced mother, and her sisters Traci and Tami. Teri's father decided he was not ready for “daddyhood” and family, so he left, but returned about 10 years later.

 

Teri’s maternal grandparents, Nana and Bapa, were key people in Teri’s life, along with her mom. Nana was determined that Teri would succeed in life and be treated “normally” despite the dire predictions from doctors. The family defied the “experts” who recommended institutionalizing Teri as a baby. Nana was Teri’s biggest inspiration and number one cheerleader for years as she endured multiple surgeries, rehab, and daily challenges living with CP.

 

Ages and dates are sometimes a blur for Teri because she moved many times as a child. She groups her childhood memories around where she was living at any given time. A part of the frequent moving was due to Teri getting the medical help and surgeries she needed near large children’s hospitals. Moving was also part of the family’s lifestyle. When Teri was a young child, her mom married again, her husband was a musician and a singer in a band. For a couple of years, they moved often, living in Oregon, Northern California, Arizona, and Florida. 

 

When Teri was a pre-teen, her mom divorced and later remarried Teri’s birth father, and the family moved to Arizona where he lived. Teri went to two different high schools in Arizona and then returned to California after her parents divorced for a second time, to finish high school. 

 

When Teri was 20, she moved to Portland, Oregon, in part to be near her Nana and Bapa. She went to college for a while, lived with her best friend, and had her first, long term romantic relationship. Eventually, Teri got a job with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in Portland. She began as a clerk typist and over the years rose to a high-responsibility, high-pressure job as a Scheduler. In this position, Teri bought and sold electric power hourly in what is called “real time.” This job was similar, in many ways, to working on the stock market, but buying and selling electrical power. After 24 years at BPA, Teri decided to retire early.

 

While in Oregon, Teri married, traveled, and led an adventurous life. She traveled internationally several times, bought a car and learned to drive, bought a house, and even went bungee jumping. Any activity that someone declares “off limits” for Teri because of her physical limitations, Teri will do it and prove the naysayer wrong. 

 

Teri was married for 16 years, but she made the difficult decision to divorce her husband, amicably. They continue to be good friends to this day. After Teri retired from BPA, she decided to move back to San Diego to be closer to her family. She also fell in love again, and has been with her current partner for about eight years. Together, they regularly take extended, cross-country motorcycle trips. Teri describes in her book that incredible freedom of speeding down a beautiful country road, feeling the wind on her face. For two years, they lived on her partner’s sailboat and sailed often. Currently, they live in the countryside outside of San Diego.

 

Teri says, “I like anything that gets my adrenaline pumping,” which has inspired her to try new things, including skydiving and snow skiing. She also loves music, especially Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, and has attended many concerts in different venues, including Italy and Germany. She hopes to meet him one day. Teri’s bucket list also includes a safari in Africa,  and a visit to Borneo to see the endangered orangutans at Camp Leaky, 

 

Teri’s story defies people’s perceptions and prejudices about those with physical challenges. She rejects those biases and the limited, stereotypical thinking about "disabled people." “What can people with disabilities do?” Teri asks in her memoir. “Read on, I’ll tell you what I can do.”