NYC Project
Donation protected
As people, we live in a world that is full of self-created contradictions. We are told to be kind, but not too kind that we’re taken advantage of; to give, but to make sure we have enough for ourselves; to follow our dreams, but to be realistic.
Where does one find equilibrium in these situations? Does such a thing exist?
I certainly can’t say.
My name is Kyle Ankney. I'm 27, and I was born with Cerebral Palsy.
Being born with Cerebral Palsy, I have always felt bound by my physical limitations. The successes I’ve enjoyed, and the risks I’ve taken, have all been quantified by myself and others.
Statements or thoughts such as, “you’ve done well for someone in your position” have been all too common. And for the past twenty-six years, I’ve begrudgingly accepted them.
That changed in April of this year, when I traveled (for the first time in a long time) with my sister to New York City.
New York is my happy place. When I’m there, I feel like a different person. I feel alive; I feel like anything is possible. I’m happy. I enjoy strolling along the city and experiencing a completely different vibe within just a few blocks. It’s a city that has full appreciation for many of my hobbies and interests, as well as an appreciation for things I will never understand, which is an equally attractive quality.
Living there had always been a dream. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a child. But as I aged, as I began establishing myself more as my own person, I began listening to the doubts and concerns of others, which slowly became my own. At some indistinguishable point, my dreams of living in New York slowly died; it felt impractical.
But, with this trip, all of those dreams came rushing back. I’m not in love with the idea of the city, I really am in love with the city. By the end of the second day, I told myself that I had to throw out all of the confines that had built up in my mind, and do everything I could to see if I could make living in New York a possibility.
I knew it wasn’t going to be a simple task. My disability has made my life disgustingly complex in some ways.
Once I returned home, I started doing research on what it would take to make this dream a reality. That's when I realized I would not be able to make this happen alone.
I have never asked for help in this way before, and to be frank, it took me months to muster up the courage to do so. But I've realized that everyone needs a little help to achieve their dreams.
This move would be the first time I have ever lived on my own, let alone a different state.
There are so many things to take into consideration with this move. -- Like where I'm going to live. Will it be wheelchair accessible?
And then, there is the personal care Will I have the services that I need to be able to get out of bed and go to work in the morning?
I'm doing everything I can to work out the logistics, and I'm hoping the money that I'm raising will allow me to turn this dream into a reality; sooner rather than later.
As someone extremely important to me pointed out; I can’t be the first person in a wheelchair to ever relocate to New York City.
As they said...
"It’s not a question of will it work? But rather, how does it work?"
Where does one find equilibrium in these situations? Does such a thing exist?
I certainly can’t say.
My name is Kyle Ankney. I'm 27, and I was born with Cerebral Palsy.
Being born with Cerebral Palsy, I have always felt bound by my physical limitations. The successes I’ve enjoyed, and the risks I’ve taken, have all been quantified by myself and others.
Statements or thoughts such as, “you’ve done well for someone in your position” have been all too common. And for the past twenty-six years, I’ve begrudgingly accepted them.
That changed in April of this year, when I traveled (for the first time in a long time) with my sister to New York City.
New York is my happy place. When I’m there, I feel like a different person. I feel alive; I feel like anything is possible. I’m happy. I enjoy strolling along the city and experiencing a completely different vibe within just a few blocks. It’s a city that has full appreciation for many of my hobbies and interests, as well as an appreciation for things I will never understand, which is an equally attractive quality.
Living there had always been a dream. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a child. But as I aged, as I began establishing myself more as my own person, I began listening to the doubts and concerns of others, which slowly became my own. At some indistinguishable point, my dreams of living in New York slowly died; it felt impractical.
But, with this trip, all of those dreams came rushing back. I’m not in love with the idea of the city, I really am in love with the city. By the end of the second day, I told myself that I had to throw out all of the confines that had built up in my mind, and do everything I could to see if I could make living in New York a possibility.
I knew it wasn’t going to be a simple task. My disability has made my life disgustingly complex in some ways.
Once I returned home, I started doing research on what it would take to make this dream a reality. That's when I realized I would not be able to make this happen alone.
I have never asked for help in this way before, and to be frank, it took me months to muster up the courage to do so. But I've realized that everyone needs a little help to achieve their dreams.
This move would be the first time I have ever lived on my own, let alone a different state.
There are so many things to take into consideration with this move. -- Like where I'm going to live. Will it be wheelchair accessible?
And then, there is the personal care Will I have the services that I need to be able to get out of bed and go to work in the morning?
I'm doing everything I can to work out the logistics, and I'm hoping the money that I'm raising will allow me to turn this dream into a reality; sooner rather than later.
As someone extremely important to me pointed out; I can’t be the first person in a wheelchair to ever relocate to New York City.
As they said...
"It’s not a question of will it work? But rather, how does it work?"
Organizer
Kyle Ankney
Organizer
Fort Lauderdale, FL