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Wheely Ricky Hello, my name is Ricardo, simply known as Ricky. I am from Portugal and 21 years of age. I have a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which has confined me to the wheel since only God knows. As a neuromuscular disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a rare disease with a prevalence rate of 1 in every 6,000 children – so, you can see how lucky I am. Within the human body, two proteins help develop and maintain muscle tissue. When a person has SMA, it implies that one of the two proteins is lacking. Consequently, it will result in poor development and progressive deterioration of the muscles over time. Basically, we can say that I have been a lazy, lucky lad from the fetal stage. After all, who else can feel like “Oh, yeah I choose not to develop this protein,” if not a stubborn person like me? I am very active in communities online and I wanted to share my story because I think it's very important for us to be there and support each other. It is important for us to know each other's stories. I know I love sharing my thoughts and my journey. I just created a blog where I document my journey and I'd love you guys to see it 👉 @rickmonis it's in my bio, hope you enjoy it. ☺️ 👉 @rickmonis 👉 @rickmonis 👉 @rickmonis I hope to see you guys follow and reach out!

Lack of disabled people in Entertainment Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Elizabeth Ortiz, I live in New Jersey and I have Progressive Spinal Atrophy one of the forms of Muscular Dystrophy, since childhood and use a wheelchair to get around. I am one of nine siblings, and honestly never knew any different, neither did my siblings. They never treated me any differently. I pretty much did everything they did except climb trees and that was because I couldn't figure out how to do it! Ever since I can remember I've always been very conscious of the way I dressed and what I wore. My appearance was always very important to me. I was always into fashion, I would buy fashion magazines and collect them to see the different fashions and even hoping to see someone like myself, but sadly enough, it never happened. As I got into my teens and twenties I would take numerous pictures, in my different outfits, as I was always a fashionista and somehow, someday a model in the making, or actress. That has always been my "Dream". In the 90s I attended an acting school in New York. I also did some local modeling. I did some print ads for a few companies I even tried out a play, called "Julie's song", where I had a part. In 1999 and 2000, I entered the Miss Wheelchair New Jersey pageant. I did not win the title but it certainly was a great experience and one that I will cherish forever. If I can do it so can you In 2019 I came across a modeling contest run by Zappos and decided to enter it. To my very unbelief, I won!! And what a feeling that was to win something that you dreamed about for so long. In January 2019 they flew me to Vegas for three days for a photoshoot. The photoshoot was held at Zappos headquarters, it included a personal assistant, who picked out my clothes for the photoshoot. A hairdresser to do my hair, and another young lady to do my makeup. I truly felt like a celebrity! This was a great experience for me as this was the first time that I have flown in quite a while, since I was young. Also, the reality of having my dream come true was definitely mind-blowing. Still, until today, I can't wrap my head around, or believe, that I achieved those accomplishments in my life. As the saying goes when one door closes another opens, and that cannot be further from the truth for me. After doing the model shoot for Zappos I was introduced to Mindy Scheier of- Runway of dreams. I surprised her at one of her business lunches, by attending it without her knowing that I was coming. And during the question and answer session, I spoke and I let her know that I was "Elizabeth Ortiz" and that I was there to let her know that I was going to be in one of her next fashion shows, she then turned around and was so excited to see me and shouted out "Elizabeth!" how did you know? I was going to call you and let you know. Well in September of the same year I was in Mindy's fashion show for fashion week in New York, at Cipriani's. What an exciting time and a true dream come true for me as it was a high I never wanted to come down from. I would love to continue modeling and doing other work in the industry. But there are those limits that are put on us by the state government and other agencies that do not allow us to earn a living like anyone else. I strongly believe that the Entertainment Industry has a lot of work as there are not enough people with disabilities in the media. I will continue doing whatever I personally can to be part of this movement. As we are all equal and should be treated as such. I enjoy fashion and inspiring others, and being an influencer...' If I can do it so can you"

Ms. Wheelchair USA 2018 My name is Yessenia Luna, I’m 21 years old, and I have Cerebral Palsy. I am not able to speak clearly; therefore, I utilize TobyDynavox to communicate with people. All my life I was shy to talk in front of an audience, however, two years ago, I overcame my shyness and had the honor to compete in Ms. Wheelchair USA in the state of Ohio. As a contestant of Ms. Wheelchair USA 2018, my platform was “Rolling Together to Success” that would help people with disabilities to be able to buy special equipment to make life easier. “Rolling Together to Success” would be an organization that raises money and organizes charity activities to impact the lives of people with disabilities who are less fortunate. Also, people who are not using their wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, communication devices can donate to “Rolling Together to Success” to help children and adults that are struggling to purchase specialized equipment that they need to have a better life. As a person who has a disability, I comprehend the difficulties that others with disabilities similar to me face every day in life due to the inability to do things on their own. Most people with disabilities, especially me, want to be independent and not have to rely on others. We want to live a normal life, do things, and explore places on our own terms. However, our needs require us to depend on the support of others for transition, transportation, and other daily activities. We also rely on specialized equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, computers, communication devices, etc. To assist us in our daily lives to be as independent as possible. Winning is not everything Even though I did not win Ms. Wheelchair USA 2018, I learned many things, and I had an unforgettable experience with such incredible women, who are warriors. I admire them and cherish the time we spent together. I would not even imagine myself speaking, utilizing my Tobiidynavox in front of an audience, much less advocating for individuals with disabilities. They gave me power. Having or not having the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA 2018, I kept on donating special equipment for people with disabilities. Seeing the smile on a child's face, that you have helped, that feeling of satisfaction is priceless!

My diagnosis My name is Marvin (@the_handicapable). I am 28 years old. When I was born I immediately became blue. Luckily, the doctors ventilated me on time and I am still alive today. I had and have very weak lungs. Over the years my spine curved dangerously which led to a spinal cord injury. The doctors thought I would never surpass childhood. These conditions and some of my other conditions were unexplainable at the time. It was tough growing up not knowing what I had. Years later, when I was 24, I found out that I have Campomelic Dysplasia. This is incurable. My daily life I haven't known a different life, one without this condition. I don't miss walking, because I never have been able to walk. I had a quite normal childhood and I have a normal life. I went to school and I graduated, I play my favorite sports powerchair hockey, I have work, I drive my own car, I am in the local politics, and I do a lot of other activities too. I live together with my two sweet cats and a great girlfriend. I am very happy that I am still here today!

My story Hi, my name is Mariano Landa, I'm 38 years old and I have Friedreich's ataxia. It's a rare disease, basically, I have less coordination, less stability, and muscular dystrophy. There's no cure or anything to slow the symptoms, but what you can do is exercise. At least you can try it, with help if you need it, but never stop trying. Although the disease is genetic and from birth, I was diagnosed at 19 years old and I started using a wheelchair 10 years ago. I am a dancer and also a PC technician (I work on my own). I started in the art world doing arnes (or aerial dance), where after 5 years and several performances I was introduced to danceability and I loved it! One day I received a call, I was invited to a dance rehearsal and that's how I started with the dance company "sin fronterass". This is what I'm doing to this day. I would not change my life for anything! It is very important for you and how you are, who are the people around you. Your family, your friends or who you choose as your partner. I was so very lucky. I was also selected as the winner of the last ALPI awards, which are delivered by trajectory to different people with disabilities. That being said, I believe there are many people who deserve a lot of awards, we are only the visible face of many good things that are happening. Dancing is beautiful and fulfilling. When you are with the right people it changes your life!

We inspire! Say Hi to Julian and Walter! 👋🏻 They are brothers and are both born with an extra chromosome (Downs syndrome). They are a huge inspiration to many people, most of all their brothers 😊 and they bring so much joy to family and friends! There is nothing down about Down syndrome and they filled everyone's life with happiness and laughter. They share their everyday life on our family account LivetEnligtOss (LifeAccordingToUs) @kind.emily. Feel free to join us on our daily adventure as a family with the bonus, their brothers and a whole lot of love!

Space Method In the Netherlands On February 20th, at the last minute, before the world shut down because of the Coronavirus, Petra and Twan rode a bicycle for the first time. I'm still excited by the happiness and joy of Petra (43) & Twan (17). Both are blind from birth, they live in the bicycle land (The Netherlands) and never rode a bicycle, because of their condition. They arrived for the pilot project to test the ‘Space’ method, which I developed to create a community of mentors who will join people with disabilities and help them ride a regular bicycle. During this process, a real friendship formed between us. The excitement I saw in their body language before and after, the smile on their faces and the desire to bring this happiness to more people stayed with me forever. And I’m still excited about the reactions I got. Local news reporters heard about the project and published a great story in The Netherlands. And we are thinking already of expanding, for every disability to get a mentor/friend for life. Enjoy Your Day with Helth & Smile Yossi Kat

The Diagnosis My husband and I had been losing sleep for months on end about our almost 2-year-old son, Landon. His development had seemed to not be following the norm. At first, we chalked it up to "every kid is different, he is learning on his own time." Which I whole-heartedly agree with. This eased our worries for a while, then it started to become more and more obvious to us that it was more than that. As the months went on and his progress seemed little to none, we began to be more and more worried. The more we talked to people about our worries, the more we were told that he was fine and we had nothing to worry about. So the isolation and panic set in. We decided that we would do something about it! We were really worried about the answers that we may get about our son. On the other hand, we had to know. We wanted to help him and the best-case scenario would be that it was all in our heads and we would be able to put our hearts at ease. We went into our State's Early Intervention Services expecting to come out with just a speech delay and some monthly speech therapy services. As soon as we walked in, the evaluators started to whisper amongst themselves about Landon. I immediately felt dizzy and the rest of the appointment was a blur. "Your son is exhibiting many of the signs of Autism. We will start providing you services in the coming weeks and we recommend that you get on a waiting list to get him an official diagnosis. This will be a rough journey but he is so little and will do great if you do everything you can." I walked out of that office with my young son, having no idea what the future held. The Weeks After After we found out this news, we had so many emotions and questions. We had no idea that Landon would need 20+ hours of ABA Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. We did not know that our lives would revolve around Autism and therapy. We did not know ANYTHING! I think that is where our greatest sorrow and relief were centered in. On the one hand, we were distraught over all the unknowns about our son that we never dreamt we would have. On the other hand, we could learn how to help him and feel more connected in his own way! Something we been craving as his parents. We received an official diagnosis for our son which opened up so many doors. We lived in a rural area where the several therapies that Landon needs were not offered. So we put our house on the market and moved back into Henderson. So much of life changes in such a short amount of time. We have another son just 15 months younger than Landon and things he was starting to do naturally, did not come naturally to Landon. This made it even more real that Landon just learned differently and needed extra help on certain things. A few months after our diagnosis, Landon started receiving ABA therapy from a company that exceeds all of our expectations in every way. Our Autism journey was filled with miracles from the very beginning. One Year Down, A Lifetime of Learning to Go! Now here we are, almost a year since Landon's Autism diagnosis and our outlook is so much different. Autism does not define our son or his future. It's just an amazing part about him that makes him able to see the world differently from the rest of us. Therapy is fun and so helpful. While Autism has so many perks, it also comes with a lot of challenges. ABA, Speech, and OT have been so helpful and we have seen so many changes in Landon. He is able to communicate much more effectively, although we have so many hurdles left, he is head and shoulders above where he was. We are able to connect with him on a deeper level. We feel like we can communicate that we love him in a way that he understands. He also has been able to show us and even tell us he loves us and more of what he needs from us. Having two boys so close in age, one on the Spectrum and one that is not, has been a challenge as well as a huge eye-opening blessing! They help and balance each other in so many ways. We wouldn't change one single thing about either of our sons. Autism is a huge part of our life and we love it. Having a son with Autism has made us slow down and enjoy each and every moment, milestone, and memory. We don't take any point, word, gesture, etc. for granted. What comes so naturally to our other children, we have a full-blown dance party over when Landon gets it down! Every day is filled with so many lows and so many highs. We are still learning day by day and some days we feel defeated. But we are doing it as a family and we are trying our dang best! That is all any family can do, right?? Anyone that is walking the Autism Parent path, you are not alone. Reach out and ask for help. You do not have to do any of this on your own. We can do this!

One of my favorite things is sports My name is Emilee and I am visually impaired. I have 20/200 vision and extreme light sensitivity, but that has never stopped me from doing anything that I wanted to do. I have been a contestant for Miss teenage Canada, driven a car, started my own social media campaign, and even done some traveling. However, one of my favorite things is sports. Recreational Sports When I was 7 or 8 I started participating in gymnastics. After many years of progressing my skills, I then moved onto becoming a gymnastics coach which I did for 4 years. I also enjoy skating, swimming, skiing, and LOVE walking. But somehow yet I had still not found my calling. Curling It wasn’t until high school that I really started to put all my energy somewhere. That somewhere? CURLING! I joined my school's curling team and they could not have been more accommodating and supportive. I use a close skip and curled in competition for four years. We even got Silver at the Central Ontario Secondary School Championships. It was the first real sport that I fell in love with. Goalball Eventually, I had to move on though. Next, GOALBALL. Goalball is a sport specifically designed for athletes who are blind. I started playing this in elementary school when one of my teachers purchased goalball equipment for gym class. I even created a goalball club in high school to teach it to others. Last year, I played in the Provincial Championships and was even selected to play on the Junior National Team as a part of Team Ontario, and we won Bronze! I still play goalball at this level and hope to continue, for as long as I can. Para-Cycling Just this year, I discovered my passion for tandem cycling. I race on a velodrome track. I think it is such a unique sporting opportunity and am so glad that I found it. I raced in 6 races for the Youth Development series and then proceeded to compete in Provincial Championships. I won gold in both my races and put downtimes that qualified me for Nationals. I have a good feeling about the result for that as well when it does happen. I also plan to continue cycling. And of course, a big shout out goes to all of the pilots. We literally cannot do this without you. Training As you can imagine, training for an athlete at this level can be quite intense. I have four bike practices each week, I swim 2-3 times a week for cardio/insurance, balance a goalball practice or two in there and add on all of life’s regular tasks. It’s a lot of work but I wouldn't change any of it.

My view as ALS patient Someone once asked me if I have any advice for relatives of ALS patients. Of course, I can only talk from my point of view and possibly my opinion doesn’t correspond to that of other ALS sufferers. But I tell you what I replied to that question anyway. Quiet acceptance In the beginning, I especially appreciated not having to talk about the disease or my feelings, not having to answer questions when I wasn't in the mood. I needed time to deal with it myself. I appreciated a „quiet acceptance“ and „giving me time“, so that I could talk about it when I felt the moment was right and when I wanted to, not when someone else wanted it. Yes, you can ask a patient about ALS or his well-being, but without emphasis. Be understanding if the affected person doesn’t give you much insight. If the answers are brief, just be sensitive and don’t go into the matter any further. Go and inform yourself about the disease in another way. I always found it valuable when relatives know a few facts about ALS. No pressure It's also important to me not to have any pressure regarding activities or going out. I want to decide for myself when I feel like it and when I do not. Comments that kind of urge you to go somewhere, for one reason or another, are not appropriate. Relatives should understand that an ALS patient probably no longer can or wants to participate in every activity. Giving time If the ALS sufferer refuses to see you (in this situation there are mostly reasons that are NOT personal) do not push, but accept and give time – and don’t make unannounced visits! Because of all the nursing effort that has to be juggled in addition to everyday routine, „spontaneous“ is usually not the greatest option. Well-intended advice The worst thing is probably giving advice on what might help or what one should do: „Have you tried this?“ „Have you been to that doctor?“ Mostly the argument is that it has helped someone else and that „it will certainly help you too“. Such well-intentioned advice often leaves me with the feeling that other people have the impression I don't mind having this disease – because in their eyes I could do something about it if I only wanted to. As if I myself was to blame for my fate... A terrible and poisoning thought! Like what you read? If you want to read more stuff like that follow me on Instagram: @bibi_wheelchair_traveller There I strengthen awareness about a life with a disability, life in a wheelchair, a life with paralysis. I address and point out existing barriers, misconceptions, assumptions and associated hurdles in life and society, that many may not be aware of and which in the past I had so often accepted in silence and frustration. I wish to bring more understanding to everyday situations.

Never stop believing My name is Ruta and on October 27, 2014, a tumor was found in my left elbow. It was really big and the doctor’s prognosis wasn’t good. After many tests, I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Amputation was suggested by some of my doctor's colleagues, but my doctor said he thought my hand could still be saved. An operation was done to remove the tumor, and my hand was saved, but with huge scars, I would always be reminded of what I was experiencing. The tumor damaged a lot of my nerves, so I can't handle my hand well. After the tumor removal, I still had 18 rounds of chemotherapy. Doxorubicin, cisplatin and high - dose methotrexate (MAP) followed by surgery and MAP for nonmetastatic osteosarcoma. Now, 4 years later (the last chemo was on January 11- 18, 2016), I can confidently but humbly say I’m an osteosarcoma survivor! Shortly after the treatment in May 2016, I had an infection in the same left arm which, required a new surgery and a prosthesis (on June 18, 2017) was inserted. On September 20, 2019, doctor-diagnosed T84.0 Mechanical complication of internal joint prosthesis. I had one more surgery on December 11, prosthesis revision. I hope that everything will be ok. It’s been a tough ride, but I’m still here. I look at my scars and I don’t find them to be ugly. I've learned to accept them because those scars saved my life. Now I volunteer with cancer patients and I wanted to share my story with anyone that went through similar things.

Corona Virus fears I live in New York and as most of the world knows we were hit really hard with the Coronavirus. Normal life as we knew it came to a halt! There were intense fears and lots of unknown which caused lots of anxiety and financial issues for millions of people. For those of you that don't know me, I decided to dedicate my life to volunteer almost every day to visit sick and underprivileged children. I've been doing this for the last decade. However, when the Coronavirus outbreak began I needed to stop visiting people in case I was a Carrier. This was the 1st time in more than a decade that I was unable to visit the children during times of despair. I started speaking with people to raise money to buy food and necessary supplies for the families that have sick children or for elder couples that are stuck at home. People often think that by doing these kind deeds I am helping others but it is the other way around. It is the people that I am helping that enables me to remember what's truly important in life and to count my blessings every day. It is a complete privilege and honor to be able to help people, especially during times of despair when there are so many unknowns. If you are still reading this please remember that it's random acts of kindness that will help make the world a better place. Even if it's only once a week or once a month the ripple effect that those kind deeds can have will help make this world a better place.