Romeo’s struggles and the power of a platform to open up

“People tease me and wonder why I am speaking this way”

Romeo, a volunteer with RCOZ, speaks out about the struggles he is going through in his life and how he is working to overcome them.

First, he says, is how I speak and how I talk. He says he was diagnosed with a condition when he was a baby and the doctor prescribed him the wrong medication. Medication that effected his speech “People tease me and wonder why I am speaking this way”. Sometimes living in a third world country medications are not readily available and diagnosis can be nonspecific, he thinks.

He continues to find it difficult to understand things and can only take 1-2 classes per semester. However, he has been independent for 14 years and has successfully held positions in bookkeeping and HR. These positions are where he can flourish on speaking and reading English because he finds it a challenge to write in English. To help her son, Romeo, his mother has signed him up with a therapist. He is saying that the therapist appointments are very beneficial.

It is wonderful and commendable that someone with a personal ailment has the courage to speak up and speak out about it. To talk about something so personal opens the door to vulnerability. However, the vulnerability may be the thing that helps others feel comfortable opening up and loving all versions of themselves.