GB T Q . ▁ ▁When ▁O ' Con nell ▁was ▁twenty , ▁he ▁was ▁hit ▁by ▁a ▁car ▁and ▁required ▁four ▁hand ▁sur ger ies . ▁The ▁accident ▁resulted ▁in ▁compart ment ▁synd rome , ▁and ▁affected ▁mainly ▁his ▁left ▁hand . ▁N ine ▁months ▁later , ▁he ▁moved ▁to ▁New ▁York ▁City ▁to ▁attend ▁The ▁New ▁School . ▁There , ▁pe ers ▁assumed ▁his ▁lim p ▁was ▁from ▁the ▁car ▁accident , ▁and ▁he ▁chose ▁not ▁to ▁correct ▁them . ▁He ▁described ▁feeling ▁in ▁lim bo ▁about ▁his ▁CP , ▁not ▁really ▁fitting ▁in ▁with ▁disabled ▁or ▁able - b od ied ▁people . ▁Additionally , ▁disabled ▁representation ▁in ▁popular ▁culture ▁was ▁nearly ▁non - ex istent . ▁ ▁Career ▁ ▁Early ▁career ▁ ▁O ' Con nell ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁blog ger ▁for ▁three ▁years , ▁first ▁serving ▁as ▁editor ▁of ▁Th ought ▁Catalog ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 1 . ▁He ▁contributed ▁to ▁Vice , ▁B uzz Feed , ▁and ▁other ▁publications ▁including ▁The ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁and ▁Med ium . ▁Some ▁of ▁his ▁writing ▁went ▁vir al ▁and ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁ 2 5 , ▁he ▁was ▁offered ▁a ▁book ▁deal ▁from ▁Simon ▁& ▁Sch uster . ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁he ▁kept ▁his ▁dis ability ▁private . ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 5 , ▁he ▁wrote ▁a ▁column ▁for ▁Th ought ▁Catalog ▁called ▁" Com ing ▁Out ▁of ▁the ▁Dis abled ▁Cl os et " ▁about ▁hiding ▁his ▁dis ability ▁with ▁the ▁car ▁accident . ▁He ▁later