“I spend my time fighting as hard as I can,” Raul Carranza says

Governor Jerry Brown recently introduced a new state budget calling for deep cuts in many departments. Looking through the huge document, it’s easy to get lost in the fine print — the line items, the pie charts — and overlook the people who will actually be affected in a very real way.

Raul Carranza is one of these people. The 22 year old was born with muscular dystrophy and can’t move or breathe independently; but his mind is alert and he is determined to speak it.

“It’s how you deal with these obstacles that define you as a person,” he said in a recent YouTube video, speaking through a voice-enabled computer.

With the help of nurses who read his lips, he has also spoken at several rallies in San Diego against budget cuts to healthcare.

“I spend my time fighting as hard as I can, for myself and others who can’t fight for themselves,” Carranza said.

Read More: Former UCLA Student Fights Budget Cuts to Disabled and Elderly|NBC Los Angeles