RIVERDALE -- Hannah Hermann said she has always lived a normal life -- even though most people don't think so.
"I went to public school. I went to prom," she said. "Nothing holds me back. People actually don't realize how much I really am like them. When they see me, they think differently."
Hermann, 20, was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that confines her to a wheelchair, but Hermann said she was never treated any differently than her three siblings and was given every opportunity they had growing up.
"Everyone has a disability of some kind to overcome in their life. Mine is just more noticeable," she said. "You have to overcome your challenges and try to find your own strengths. I obviously don't have some things other people have, but I feel very, very lucky for what I do have. I have a lot."
Hermann and her twin, Kayla, were born at 30 weeks, a result of a condition called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a disease in which twins unequally share the placenta.
"She took most of the oxygen and I took most of the nourishment," Hermann said. "When I was born I weighed 2 pounds, 14 ounces and she weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces. She was OK, though, and that's good. I was born with cerebral palsy."
Cerebral palsy affects movement, motor skills and muscle tone. The condition also can lead to other health issues that include vision, hearing and speech problems and learning disabilities.
"I can't stand or walk, and I have to have help doing some things," Hermann said. "But even though I have challenges, I'm not different."
Hermann said she wants to let as many people as possible know they should never give up and should always strive to accomplish great things. She recently spoke at a young single adult ward in her stake in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was asked to speak again. She also is planning to take her message out to several local schools.
"Right now there's nothing scheduled but we're working on it," she said.
Hermann was born at LDS Hospital and has lived in Riverdale her whole life. She is the daughter of Kaye and Rik, has three siblings, two dogs and a cat. She attended Riverdale Elementary School, T. H. Bell Junior High School and Bonneville High School. She attends Canyon View School, where she is enrolled in the LIFE program. She likes to read and hang out with her friends. She also is planning to enter Miss Wheelchair Utah in November.
"Hannah is an amazing person," said Marissa Perkins, a friend and customer relations manager at Ken Garff Honda in Ogden. The car dealership is sponsoring Hermann at the pageant.
"She is always happy, rarely ever down on herself. She's been looking at different things to do with her life lately and she decided to do motivational speaking. She doesn't sit around and wait for life to happen. She makes life happen."
Hermann's mother said her daughter is a bundle of energy who can be hard to keep up with.
"She just goes and goes," she said. "She has a great sense of humor and gets everyone around her laughing. She is an angel, and we consider ourselves lucky to have her a part of our family."
Hermann said she loves life and will continue to pursue her dreams.
"I want to volunteer at the veteran's center," she said. "I want to get a job. I want to live life to the fullest. I love life and have a lot of gratitude for what I have. I'm lucky, and I want others to feel lucky about what they have, too."
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