“My name is Laurie Zappulla and here is my pitch!”  That is the opening line for all TEDx speakers and I voiced my pitch this past March. In 1979, a week before my freshman year of college, I jumped into a swimming pool and broke my neck.  At that moment, I didn’t have to wonder […]

We were huddled around her incubator four days after Callie’s open-heart surgery. It had only been seven days since her birth. I stared at the three-inch scar that covered her tiny little chest and tried to keep my worry in check but it was extremely hard. Callie was hooked to a million tubes and wires […]

On April 10, brothers and sisters around the country celebrate National Siblings Day to honor the special bond that exists between siblings. On this day, siblings spend time with each other and reflect on memories shared together. Many siblings also post stories, pictures, and videos on social media using the hashtag #NationalSiblingsDay. National Siblings Day […]

Growing up, it’s easy to say that the favorite part of your day was getting a good grade on a test in school or soccer practice with friends. But more and more, it’s the quiet moments I cherish the most, especially with my brother Jacob. Being away from home for college is especially tough because […]

Five years before I arrived, my brother Nick was born and was later during a routine exam diagnosed with taxoplasmosis, which meant he had been born with holes in his brain. In a rare number of people including my brother, it impacted eye issues too. My mom has always been an extremely strong woman; she […]

My older brother Matthew is autistic. When he was two years old, he was slow to develop cognitive skills. My parents knew something was wrong. He was formally diagnosed shortly thereafter, and after a subsequent battery of tests, my parents faced the devastating reality that he would never be able to enjoy an independent life. […]

I grew up in Los Angeles just off of Doheny Drive North of Sunset in a location known as Lower Bird Streets or “Doheny.” I initially went to Stephen S. Wise elementary and then Brentwood School. But from an early age all I wanted to do was real estate, so I was asked to leave […]

My husband Andy and I got pregnant with Matthew after three years of trying to conceive.  When we found out we were pregnant we were overjoyed. Excitedly, I went out and bought books for us to learn what to expect during pregnancy.  As far as we were concerned, we were preparing to parent a healthy […]

My first son, Noah, was born on March 12, 2000 with Down Syndrome. The tests administered during pregnancy for Down Syndrome and other conditions somehow didn’t indicate Downs – so, yes, Noah’s condition was certainly a surprise. Frankly, for the first 24 hours Noah’s condition was a dramatically negative surprise to me and to my […]

There are days where I feel as though I am living the life of Benjamin Button. You know the movie, the one where Brad Pitt ages in reverse. I feel more alive and free at the age of 41 than I ever was in my early 20’s. These days, I can walk my son to […]

At this very moment last year, I was undergoing surgery that would change my life forever. Little did I know, that it would be for the better. In May of 2016, I had my annual eye exam to get my contact prescription renewed. My eye doctor then recommended that I see a specialist, because I […]

A few months ago, right after I finished my first year of law school at Brooklyn Law my Mom and I decided to go on a trip to Boston. We were so excited and blasted the Beatles the entire drive! Once we arrived at the hotel at about noon we went to check in. Right […]

I was getting a manicure a couple of years ago when the woman sitting next to me suggested to me that Botox might be very helpful. She was referring to my right hand. I have Cerebral Palsy which affects the right side of my body. I thanked her and I knew her intentions were sincere. […]

When I was about five years old I was diagnosed with a severe hearing impairment on my left side.   I was not diagnosed until I reached school age because nobody had noticed it before.  Like so many of the others who have stories about living with any type of difference –it was simply all I ever […]

  I learned about Don’t Hide It Flaunt It when my daughter Callia wrote the winning essay for the 2015 Kids Flaunt It/Scholastic contest.  She wrote about her brother Tim and how having him as her brother makes her different. When I first read Callia’s essay, I felt like maybe I had let her down […]