My name is Christopher Macuto Gebel. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (Autism), Depression, ADHD, and Anxiety Disorder at the late age of 17 (I'm now 21). For the longest time, I never knew I had autism. I was really showing signs as young as 2 when I refused to wear a costume for Halloween. I never went trick-or-treating properly, either, because just walking up to other people's houses and say, "Trick or treat!" was really nerve-wracking for me -- and I never knew why for so long... My elementary school friends practically begged on their knees to get me to wear SOMETHING, but I felt so strongly about it that I just couldn't do it. I talked about it with my therapist, Yolanda, recently and found that I perceived Halloween as a strange holiday. It was then I realized I could've remedied this feeling buy wear a Power Rangers costume.
You see, I'm a huge Power Rangers fan. Ever since I saw Justin Stewart morph into the Blue Turbo Ranger for the first time back in '98, I was sold. The fact that Justin was a 10-year-old child prodigy who was so smart he got into high school early was the main reason I became a Power Rangers fan in the first place, because I'm a smart guy, too. Who else can say they've aced the First Grade Spelling Bee or read proficiently before Pre-school? However, even as a kid, I rejected wearing a Power Rangers costume, too, because I thought I wasn't worthy. Back then, I didn't think I could be a superhero because I thought I wasn't good enough. When I transferred to another elementary school in 4th Grade, this feeling worsened because my new friends perceived me as strange. In fact, it got to the point that I was being bullied and didn't realize it. All of these feelings caught up to me in 2010 when I got so sick I went to rehab not once but TWICE.
With the support of family and friends, I now spend my days as a YouTube personality and musician.
West Chester, PA