Nicole Luongo is a disability advocate dedicated to raising awareness for cerebral palsy (CP) + selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), a life-changing surgery for adults (like herself) and children with CP.
In 2021, Nicole started a campaign to get the White House to light up in green on March 25 for National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. Her efforts led to a tweet that has 60K+ views. This sparked a movement, and a Change.org petition which received 40K+ signatures in less than two months.
In 2019, Nicole created the Go Green for CP campaign. She became the first person ever — without compensation or prior experience; this was a solo endeavor — to secure at least one building, landmark, etc. in almost all 50 states to light up in green on National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day (March 25) and on World CP Day (October 6), with lightings in three different countries.
World CP Day was the first to feature her campaign in Cerebral Palsy is Lighting Up the World. Go Green for CP was also featured on ABC6 in Rhode Island.
In 2014, Nicole created the the hashtag #whatCPlookslike to change perceptions, raise awareness for cerebral palsy and give a voice to people thriving with disabilities, many of whom often feel invisible.
Nicole has been in myriad media, including the Today Show, NBC 6 South Florida, the Sun-Sentinel, and more. Her HuffPost article SDR: Life-Changing Surgery for Cerebral Palsy is the reason many adults and children from around the world have learned about, had SDR surgery. Her work has also been published by Medium, The Mighty, Thrive Global, Yahoo, and YooCan.
Nicole is the author of Naked Desires, a poetry book for everyone who is searching for love, delighting in love, or hoping to understand love. In her free time, she enjoys baking, cooking in multiple Instant Pots, watching Hallmark movies, and working out.
Connect with Nicole
- Follow Nicole on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter + YouTube (What Cerebral Palsy Looks Like Channel).
- Follow Nicole’s NEW What Cerebral Palsy Cooks Like FB Page.
- Read more of Nicole’s published articles here.
- Watch more of her SDR journey on YouTube (Nicole Luongo Channel).