My goal with this website and blog is to show you through stories about my past, and about things that I’m working on today, that you can live the life you want despite your physical or mental challenges. You must be disciplined to accomplish your goals and know when to lean on others for support. I’ll share stories of goals I’ve accomplished in the past, as well as my progress toward goals I’m currently working on.

But first, who am I, and why am I qualified to talk about this?

My name is Erica Martin. I was born in 1974 with a hole in my heart that was repaired when I was three years old. Not only that, but I also had hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and was diagnosed with epilepsy at five years old.  The hydrocephalus was resolved with a shunt operation and two shunt revisions, but I still have problems with the epilepsy today. I don’t let it stop me from living as fully as I can, though. I’m married, I’ve started my own business, and I have started living on my own terms.

It wasn’t easy, though. I went through a lot to get to where I am today. I dealt with many people who didn’t understand why I acted the way I did or looked the way I looked sometimes. And I hated going to doctor’s appointments when my friends went to ballet lessons or Girl Scouts. All I wanted was to have a “normal life.”

I did get to take piano lessons when I was a teenager – I’ll talk to you more about that later – and I benefited greatly from it.

I couldn’t have done it without help and support from different people, like the doctors and therapists who treated me over the years, or my parents and other family members, who supported the different goals I had in my life.

One thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older, though, is that you must redefine normal when you’ve got a health concern that keeps you from living life the same as everyone else. I can’t drive because of my epilepsy, so I work from home since I would have to spend a lot of money to take an Uber.  

I want to show you through my experiences how you can redefine what’s “normal” and live life on your own terms. You may not be able to do everything everyone else does, but you can still live the kind of life you want.

As this website evolves, I also hope to open an Etsy shop where I want to sell tools (mostly printables, but maybe some electronic products) to help you reach your goals. To find out when new blogs are posted, and get updates on other things I’m doing, sign up for my email list.