Utah man with cerebral palsy publishes children’s book
Jul 22, 2024, 6:00 AM
Johnathan Aubrey, a Utah man with cerebral palsy, reads from his recently published children's book "Am I Different?" at Storybook Nook in West Jordan on July 19. (Emma Everett Johnson, KSL.com)
(Emma Everett Johnson, KSL.com)
WEST JORDAN — The first time Johnathan Aubrey rode a bike at 7 years old, he wiped out. He collided with his sister and skidded out on his training wheels — he, and his parents, thought it was the end of his biking career.
Aubrey has cerebral palsy, a neurological condition brought on by brain damage before, during or shortly after birth. It makes physical coordination and speech difficult, much less riding a bike.
“I believed that people who had cerebral palsy could not ride bikes,” Aubrey said. “As long as I believed that, it was true.”
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But at 13, he was ready to give it another go — he taught himself how to ride a bike in just one day. There were a few bumps and bruises along the way, but the decision to get back up and pedal was a critical turning point, Aubrey said.
“I want all kids to know that we can gain freedom and greater happiness just by accomplishing hard things,” the West Jordan man said.
Aubrey, now in his 40s and the founder and CEO of Winning Despite Obstacles, has taken this message to companies and schools across the state, but it was only a few years ago that he realized he wanted to write about his experiences.
Read the full story from KSL.com here.
