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Spinal cord injury 11 years ago, at the age of 17, my boyfriend George was in a car accident and sustained a spinal cord injury. He is now paralyzed from the chest down and requires the use of a wheelchair now. At the time George was a regular teen, going to college and playing a lot of football, which he was very good at and was on the path to hopefully playing at a high level. After his injury, a lot had to change. In the beginning, he worried about what he would do with his life. Football had always been his passion and he wasn’t about to let his spinal cord injury stop him from having it in his life. So he eventually brought his local football club (for which he used to play for). He is now the owner of Worthing FC and the club is doing so well. I’m so proud of him! Having a spinal cord injury doesn’t have to stop you from having or doing the things you love. You just have to find other ways to work around it. Anything is possible! Love Over 2 and half years ago I met George through Facebook. He messaged me and was so charming and confident. I was already physically attracted as he is very handsome, but his openness and honesty are what won me over, I instantly knew he was trustworthy. Things are different for me now that I am dating someone with a disability. Every relationship has its challenges but our challenges come from the outside world where things aren’t made to be accessible, that’s where things get difficult and it’s a real shame because our own relationship together is perfect. I am now a full-time PA/carer to George and it is the best ‘job’ ever! Sharing We decided to start a joint Instagram account called Thewheellife_ and also a YouTube channel so that we could show others that being in an integrated relationship works. We started this in order to give help and advice where we can to others in a similar situation and to also learn things for ourselves too! We love sharing what we get up to and going out to different places and letting people know what is and isn’t accessible. We just want to raise more awareness about disability and accessibility so that it can get better and better as time goes on. The support we’ve received and the people we’ve met since starting the page have been incredible!

YES YOOCAN The power of will and the ability of the human spirit will always triumph. After intense work finally started walking on his own after a spinal cord injury. May the progress continue!

My disability and me Hi! My name is Amy. I live with a condition called Neurofibromatosis Type 2, this causes tumors to grow on the nervous system. I found out about it 22 years ago. 2 brain tumors and many others in my brain and body (both treated and untreated), leave me partially deaf, unsteady, tired, slow and I speak pretty quietly (to be brief!). I had a large tumor removed from my spine when I was 10. This left my left arm completely paralyzed at the shoulder. At 15 and again at 16 I had the tumors in my ears treated with radiotherapy. Since then, I had a tumor removed from the right side of my brain in 2018, and another from my right in 2021. I am pretty unsteady on my feet, but as far as brain surgery goes, it went well with no serious long term side effects. Despite having a bucket load of health issues and worries, I remain surprisingly upbeat! I document my journey on Instagram and my blog https://amyversuslife.com/category/about-amy/

Long Story Short Like many others, my story is a long and complicated one. And so like many others, I have learned to be direct. I have been diagnosed with hEDS and CRPS. As a result, I am in and out of the hospital due to dislocations, subluxations, intense pain, and bouts of unconsciousness. I use a wheelchair whenever I leave the house and am much more careful when I am out. Also, as a result, I live life very differently from most others, and very differently from how I used to. I used to compete in martial arts - I was graded through to black belt at ten - and I was very good. I used to play Badminton, be a part of school choirs, and be out as much as possible with my friends. And that all very quickly changed, starting in 2016. Learning That Healing Gets More Painful Before It Gets Better In 2016, the dislocations in my right knee got worse, and I had surgery, but the surgery didn't work. And that made my depression and anxiety - which already affected me- much worse. I lost the ability to compete and train my martial art, I didn't have the energy for choirs or social outings. I lost most of my friends, and those who did stick around I pushed away. I was so focused on all the things that being disabled took away from me - my dream career as a doctor in emergency medicine, my ability to compete in martial arts, and my energy to be out and about with my friends. And it wasn't until a few years later - in fact, in 2021 - that my perspective changed. That I fought hard to change my perspective on my disability, my circumstances, and what my future could hold. And the first step was to own my situation and step out of my comfort zone. Living Life Through Adaptation In 2021, I decided to be more open about my disabilities. I had been using a wheelchair regularly since 2020, but no one really knew what I was dealing with, and what my life looked like. So I stepped out of my comfort zone, and I used my voice. I met other people who knew my struggles - who had CRPS, hEDS, and comorbidities - and I bonded with them. I started the Disabled Students Association at my university with two of my best friends. I fought for advocacy, support, and understanding of the disabled community at my university. And when people asked how I did what I do, I would respond "I live my life through adaptation". I educated those around me as best I could. I forgave myself for the ways I would punish myself in the past for being disabled. I let myself mourn the life I had, and the life I dreamed of, and then focused on all of the lessons that I had learned through being disabled, and all of the opportunities I have found as a result of being openly disabled. So, What Now? Now, I fight. It is exhausting, but I fight. I fight to complete my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Anthropology. I fight to continue to raise awareness and change the perspective on the disabled community at my university. I fight to raise awareness for hEDS, CRPS, and disabilities in general. I fight to get the treatment and support I need - and to retain it. I fight to support my friends when they need me, to show them, love, when they need it the most, and when they don't - because I can. I fight to focus on the positives of my life, and what I have gained. Because I am so much more than my diagnosis. I am so much more than the wheelchair I use. And I have come such a long way in my healing. And I couldn't be prouder.

This is my story! Hello, My name is Ashaunté and I have CP (Cerebral Palsy). I was diagnosed shortly after birth. When I was a teenager my dream was to become a fashion designer for people with disabilities, however, my dreams were shattered due to my circumstances. My father was murdered when I was a teenager. My mom died of brain cancer in 2017. My aunt, who is like a second mom, moved away to another county shortly after. In November 2021 I started an online store with my grandmother. The name of the store is Grace and Me, my designs are showcased. The designs are to bring awareness to CP and to inspire others who have a disability. Now I am living my dream. Although life can have struggles, we have to push through and overcome them, so we can live our dreams. You too can live your dreams!

Sometimes life can hit us out of nowhere. When we get hit, we can fall; or, we can stumble, pivot and catch ourselves. One year ago I took the biggest hit of my life. I was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2 (LGMD), changing my life overnight. Since the diagnosis, I have been stumbling, desperately trying to stay upright. I was in the United States Air Force when I received my diagnosis. The Air Force medically separated me and I had to figure out the best path forward, both in my career and my personal life. I decided to further my education was the logical step, so I applied for a graduate program at the University of Michigan. I was accepted and promptly started to chase the new endeavor. I made sure that I never had downtime to think about or confront my Muscular Dystrophy. I stayed busy, or always had an excuse to avoid conversing about it. However, denial and avoidance can only get someone so far. I was eventually forced to confront my reality and start processing my emotions. I created an Instagram account called MuscularDystrophyandPositivity as a means to share my story and raise awareness about LGMD. My goal is to continue to share my stories and experiences to provide readers with insights and inspiration. I got hit. I started to stumble. But, I am pivoting, and I will catch myself. I am choosing to embrace Muscular Dystrophy and combat it with positivity. I would be extremely grateful if you followed my journey and shared it with your friends and loved ones. The support of others means more to me than I could ever put into words.

My Emergency Admission Hi everyone! My name is Lauren and I have been diagnosed with Crohn's disease for 4 years now. I had a flare-up in June 2021 that they tried to treat with steroids, but 8 weeks later I was still reacting poorly and not responding to the treatment. In October 2021 it got so bad I was admitted to the hospital. I was sleeping 20 hours a day, could barely move, and hadn’t been to the toilet in 6 days. I was in pain and I felt so weak! They tried treating me in the hospital with IV steroids but I continued to deteriorate. After some scans they found that I had numerous internal fistulas in my intestines (tunnels between my organs), a blockage of around 6kg of waste, and part of my bowel was so inflamed that it had shut down completely and had collapsed. My intestine had given up and the walls has stuck together. Waste was being pushed through my fistulas and I was on the verge of perforating. My situation was life-threatening. Life Saving Surgery I was told that I needed life-saving surgery and that within 24 hours I would wake up with a stoma. I couldn’t believe it. I’m only 25 and I felt like my body was giving up on me. Due to covid, I wasn’t allowed any visitors, so I was facing this all alone from my hospital bed. As promised, 24 hours later I was in surgery and they removed half a meter of my intestines, drained the fistulas, and gave me an ileostomy (this is a type of stoma). Recovery was hard. I was in immense pain but I also had to learn how to use my stoma and care for myself again at age 25. The stoma nurses were amazing but it was still the hardest thing I have ever faced. Changing My Outlook In the hospital, I thought a lot about my life and how close I had come to death. I decided that I would do my best to embrace my stoma and the second chance that it gave me. I decided to make an Instagram account @lauren_talking_shite to document my journey in a really honest way, get support from others and give support to others in similar situations. I wanted to prove to myself and others how strong I could be. The account began to gain traction and I decided to do a photoshoot showing off my stoma. I feel good and confident and brave and I wanted to share body positivity with the world, despite not looking how the world wants me to look! I now do photoshoots regularly and advocate for disabled bodies to be present in popular media. I also support others with their IBD and stomas and I educate people on the impact of Crohn's disease and stomas. I’m so proud of the woman I am becoming and feel that something that should have broken me has actually been the making of me!

My story Hi, I’m Opal, a young teen living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(hEDS). When I was 11 I began regurgitating my food after meals, I quickly lost my ability to eat together. I couldn’t keep down food or liquid and was admitted to the hospital. After a week I was diagnosed with adolescent rumination syndrome. I had an NJ tube placed and went on about my life. About 6 months after developing rumination my joints began dislocating and eating was incredibly painful. After lots of testing, I was diagnosed with visceral hyperalgesia. I had a gj tube placed surgically and was put on 24-hour feeds. Around this time, I was diagnosed with PoTs, a type of Dysautonomia. I was constantly passing out and my abdominal pain became unbearable. We continued searching for answers. Eventually, I was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects collagen. I was then diagnosed with gastroparesis. I am now an ambulatory wheelchair user and completely tube-fed. Before I got sick I was an avid dancer, sadly my body cannot do what it used to anymore. I have taken up crochet and run a successful Etsy shop where I sell my crochet plushies. I use my platform to advocate for other kids with chronic illnesses and help medical professionals understand their patients better.

Intro Hi, my name is Jack Davey! My wheelchair basketball journey began by chance. I was going for a day chair fitting and was told to go along and give it a go! Who would’ve known that this decision would take me all over Europe playing and living in Germany, representing my region, and turning wheelchair basketball into a career rather than a hobby! I am returning to the UK to work at Rgk wheelchairs, run one of the top wheelchair basketball teams, and be trialing for the commonwealth! I’m all about motivating and helping others!

Living with Becker Muscular Dystrophy means adapting to your changing needs. In my case the biggest change was needing to stop working after suffering an on the job injury. It was a huge direction change in my life that led to a bit of frustration but eventually it turned into an opportunity one which led me to start sharing what I like to call My Beckers Story. Change can lead to new opportunities As we all know life can change quickly leaving us with no other option but to adapt. Being one not to give up even though I was no longer working, I couldn't just sit around. So I started blogging. The idea was just to share my diagnosis story but immediately I started connecting with others from around the world. At the time I didn't know anyone else living with Muscular Dystrophy then when I started sharing my story that changed instantly. It certainly led to many new friendships and best of all an opportunity to raise awareness & understanding of the lives we live. Learning to Adapt to my current needs Recently I started using a mobility scooter which has been a real life changer for me, just another part of adapting to my changing needs. See often change isn't easy to deal with but like everyone else we are learning as we go. Like I now know that when needing to use a mobility scooter when transporting it, having the right vehicle matters. That is why I am currently raising awareness of the need to plan ahead especially for those of us with changing needs. In my case now I need to get a vehicle capable of handling my current and future needs. Something I learned the second my mobility scooter arrived and it wasn't able to fit in our current vehicle. Which led to me starting the #HelpFundBradsMinivan fundraiser with the hopes of soon being able to get a minivan or SUV capable of transporting my mobility scooter. As you can see adapting to our changing needs isn't always easy but it can lead to new opportunities. In my case it led me to sharing my story and eventually the founding of LAPS4MD. When it comes down to it our community is never one to give up, and through my recent challenges with not being able to transport my mobility scooter I've learned that an important part of being able to adapt is planning ahead as this allows us to be better prepared when the changes come.

I am happy despite chronic pain My name is Franziska (@franzi_quadri). I have been paralyzed from the neck down since a paragliding accident in 2009. I was in the middle of life at the time and had a great job and a relationship. My whole life was shattered in a split second. Today I am a quadriplegic and 100% dependent on help. It's not always easy. My problem is that I have neuropathic pain and severe spasticity. It makes my life hell. Luckily I have found something that helps and learned to deal with the disability and the wheelchair. I have found the joy of life again. That's what I want to show the world on social media. There is still a lot possible. My life is fun. I am happy again. Thanks to the great help of my family and friends I have no limits. Society is now handicapping me, and I want to change that with my pictures and stories. #nevergiveup

Accomplishing my dreams with CP Hello, My name is Belinda. I am 35 years old. I have Cerebral Palsy. I currently live in Jacksonville at The Arc Jacksonville Village. The Arc Jacksonville village is a community with other individuals with disabilities. I love living at the Arc Village because it gives me a sense of living on my own. I’ve been living there for 4 years now and I’ve accomplished so much in those 4 years including getting a part-time job at Marshalls and I have a steady boyfriend named Brian. I believe if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything!