The Wheelchair Teen

Like I said last week, Wednesday was my birthday. To be honest, I didn’t expect much: the day started like any other. My friends did send me some nice midnight happy birthday messages and my sister sang to me when I got up in the morning, but other than that I had breakfast and started working like any other day. I started feeling a little underwhelmed around dinner time.

Although I fully appreciated the work-free day which allowed me time to work on my comic (which is going really well by the way), I’m young and still at the age where birthdays are supposed to be fun and full of everybody making a fuss. Call me needy but I only have a few more of these left before birthdays aren’t as special anymore – certainly not as special as they are when you’re a kid.

Just before dinner, my mother sent me upstairs under the pretence that she didn’t want me to see the table spread until it was ready. After a little while, she called me back downstairs. But when I got there, no one was at the door and triumphant superhero music was blasting from my father’s speakers. Out of nowhere, my family jumped out each dressed up in superhero cosplay and striking heroic poses.

It was a huge surprise, I didn’t think that they had anything special planned especially something as perfect as a party planned around my favourite thing in the world: superheroes!!! And if you know my family – you know that dressing up definitely isn’t their thing, but they there all were – my father with a cape and mask, my mother as Batman and my third-eldest sister as Supergirl, all standing under a superhero happy birthday sign and handing me a Wonder Woman costume to change into.

After I changed and we all had dinner (my mother’s homemade salmon quiche – one of my most favourite meals) we went into the lounge to watch a video that my father put together on the television. It turned out to be a video compilation of my extended family and friends, all dressed up as superheroes as well, giving me heart-warming birthday messages.

It was so touching – all of my friends had handmade their costumes including a friend who had duct-taped a onesie to make an extremely realistic Cyclops costume. The messages were extremely moving too and I felt so grateful that everyone had put so much effort into it that I ended up a little teary-eyed. Despite the distance, it felt like they were right there in the room with me. It was probably the best part of one of my best birthdays.

The rest of the night was spent opening presents and participating in superhero-themed activities. My mother planned and created a whole custom game of superhero charades. (My sister and I were insanely in tune with one another: I pointed at the sky outside through the window and she instantly guessed that I was trying to act out the superhero Moon Knight. During my next turn, I waved my hands around in the air for two seconds before she guessed the superhero Storm). We also acted out pretend superhero fights – it was simultaneously the nerdiest and most awesome thing that I have ever done. Finally, the evening was perfectly topped off with my sister’s homemade carrot cake and the comedy film Happy Death Day.

I know that people often say that wearing a superhero outfit makes you feel strong but I truly did feel stronger dressed as Wonder Woman – it was just so cool. Above all, my birthday party reminded me of how loved I was by the people around me, it made me want to be the hard-working and successful superhero that they had all made me out to be.

Since my birthday, I’ve taken up exercising every day again and have attacked my studies with new vigour. I really want to be someone significant in this world – it’s my dream to one day save people with my writing or with my art, just like the superheroes on my wall do. And if I ever end up being able to do so, it will be because my loved ones were with me every step of the way. I know for sure that this was one birthday that I’ll never forget.       

04:26, 03.05.2020