Episode Details
Back to Episodes
113: Ripley Cusinato - A Unicorn's Childhood Girl Scout Gold Award Project
Description
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/
Ripley shared her experience of creating her Girl Scout Gold Award project—a book discussing the difficulties of being disabled in a world that largely ignores invisible illnesses. Ripley herself has multiple chronic illnesses and was misdiagnosed with psychological ailments before being able to name what she was facing. She wrote the book to redefine the idea of disability and to discuss the ableism found in our community and how we can help those suffering from health issues. Her motivation stemmed from her journaling and a writing project she completed in college which her professor commended her for.
More about Ripley:
Ripley finished her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, A Unicorn's Childhood, to bring awareness to invisible disabilities, ableism, and the failures of the American Healthcare system for women. Ripley was a Girl Scout for 13 years, starting when she was a Daisy in kindergarten and finishing at 18 years old as a freshman in college. Ripley is an avid reader, writer, and equestrian; her partner in crime Radar (an OTTB), is mentioned often in her project. She is pursuing a degree in Psychology with the intent of focusing on changing how pain psychology is approached in the medical industry.
Links:
Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/laura.cusinato.716)
Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/rip_chazire/)
Goodreads: (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22956923.Ripp_N_Chazire)
My Website: (https://ripleyatlas.wixsite.com/chazire-s-updates)
Key points from the episode:
The world needs your story.
Ripley is an example of someone who has used her story to make a difference in the world. Through her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she wrote a book about her journey with multiple chronic illnesses. Ripley was misdiagnosed many times and it took her five times longer to get the correct diagnosis. Her book discusses the idea of being disabled in a community that only needs you as disabled if you have a visible disability. It also talks about the failures of the public health care system and the public school system, particularly around women and mental health.
Ripley found the confidence to share her experiences and create her book through her love of writing. She had kept a journal and was a writer from a young age. She also had the support of her professor and classmates who encouraged her to write a book. They saw the power in her story and knew that it needed to be shared with the world.
Fighting illness with creativity.
Ripley was diagnosed with a chronic illness at a young age. Despite the challenges she faced, she was determined to make a difference in the world. She used her creative talents to write a book about her experiences with he