After countless exams, my mother sat me down and explained that I was different. Tears swelled in my eyes as she informed me that I’d never read like the other kids.

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I could hardly speak, choking on my sobs. “Why?” That’s all I could muster, but inside, I envisioned the mound of books, sprawled out on my bed, that I loved hearing read to me, imagining the day that’d I’d pen my very own story.

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With a deep sigh, my mother spoke the most horrific words I’d ever heard. “You’re dyslexic. Maybe, with practice, you’ll reach a second grade reading level. It’s hereditary, Tina.”

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After multiple sessions with adults, trying to train me to read the word “cat” I took matters into my own hands, realizing reading was memorization. Now, I’m a writer and when I went to college, I tested for honors (writing classes only—math is an entirely different ballgame). I didn’t learn from the adults that spoke underneath their breath, claiming I’d never get it, nor did I listen to the other kids giggle as I was singled out, asked to leave the classroom to “learn to read”. No. I refused to fall victim to what others said I couldn’t do. I wanted to read and be an author. Heck, I was published before I left elementary school. (It was a poem, but still, it was my dream!)

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My story is nothing like the ones you’ll learn about within these pages. The Olympians were told worse. Their parents were given heart-breaking news that shattered their dreams of what their child could become.

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This story is written to dispel the world’s outlook on disabilities. Whether you’re a parent, guardian, a child, an adult, teen, a friend of, or maybe even a teacher, this book is for you. Learn by example, be encouraged, and know, that there is no such thing as “can’t”.

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YOU WILL get through this. Just look at the Olympians.