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Living Boldly with Polio in my lower limbs I'm Chetan Jajani from Bhuj, Gujarat in India. I started walking at the age of one when Polio hit my lower limbs. Since I was from a rural area, there wasn't any source of education for me, so my parents sent me to an integrated educational institution where I completed my schooling. My educational institution was so helpful to me. I never felt my disability was a hindrance. The environment was so accessible and I was always an excellent student. how i deal with life mentally and physically Since then I've participated in cultural and sporting events and won medals in cycling (tricycle). I was good at drawing and 'Rangoli', my name was always called out at the time of prize distribution! After school, I had to leave the institution for further studies. So, I came to the city. It was a completely new atmosphere for me. I had to tackle all the odds I was facing in daily traveling and negligence due to disability in daily life. However, I decided to never give up. I consciously worked on overcoming my weaknesses and started training my mind, which increased my willpower. I started participating since 2013 in athletic games "Khel Maha kumbh" organized by Gujarat government every year and won certificates and medals from my Kutch District and twice from state level in Shot-Put and cycling. In 2016 I came to know, that there's para powerlifting for people with disabilities. (Until then I was unaware of Paralympics). Training in the gym was a turning point in my life. (I would have never ever thought of joining a gym if powerlifting wasn't there). Initially I was hesitating and doubting myself, if I would be able to cope with all the other” normal” people in gym. I would have to crawl in between them, since I couldn’t walk! But after I started training, I gained my confidence back. It wasn’t just about training in gym, I trained myself to the level where I could deal with everything in life mentally and physically. "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT AND THE WORLD IS ALL YOURS" I won my first ever silver medal in para powerlifting in Gujarat state level held in Ahmedabad in 2016. It was a precious moment for me. First time ever, I felt like I had achieved something with my hard work and dedication. I was appreciated and applauded! It boosted my confidence to a new level. In March 2018 at Delhi, I participated in National Para Powerlifting games and though I didn't earn any medals, it was a big achievement for me that I reached the national level. It was a great experience! I've now learned to travel alone using my wheelchair. I used to be very shy, but now I open up to people and talk easily. The harder I train every day, the more trust I gain in myself. When I hear people are inspired by me, I feel more positive about reaching my goals. I currently live daringly, boldly, fearlessly and strive to put forth the best within me. My life's message to people is "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT AND THE WORLD IS ALL YOURS."

My Story My name is Sebastian Broussard (@sebastian_broussard) and 3 years ago, on February 2, 2016, I broke my neck at the C-5 level. Throughout my 3-month hospital stay, I faced countless challenges, from a trache in my neck to several collapsed lungs all the way to pneumonia. On top of this, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair which led to depression. I took it one day at a time and slowly, it started to get better. Life will get better with an SCI If this is an issue you are struggling with, it will get better, just be patient. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. Don't be afraid to ask for help. One thing this injury has taught me is that you can’t take anything, or any minute of your life for granted whether or not you have a disability. This meant putting all my effort into rehabbing and regaining as much function as possible. There was not much function to be regained since I had such a high-level injury and as it now stands I can not move my fingers, abs or intercoastal (rib) muscles. So at the time, I immersed myself in gaining as much muscle as I could so that I could do as much as possible with the little function I had. I can now drive myself, play rugby, and live a relatively normal life. I am still trying to improve my independence every day, whether it's going to the gym or trying that one thing that I wasn't able to do yesterday because every little bit helps. I have surprised myself with the amount of progress that I’ve made, and still, continue to do so. So if you are reading this, why not you? You can accomplish your goals too, you just need to put your effort into something, anything. Whether it’s sports, academics or therapy, it doesn’t matter. And who knows, you may even surprise yourself too, but you’ll never know unless you try.

You're a star! My name is Piyah Martel. I'm 26 years old living in Sacramento, California. I have a birth defect called Caudal Regression Syndrome, which means I was born with a shortened spine, little legs, and I have to use a wheelchair, skateboard or walk on my hands. I don't let anything stop me from doing what I have to do. I'm a singer-songwriter and music video producer. Music is my life and it makes me happy & helps me get through everything. I also produce videos for YouTube. NULL I used to be bullied in school because of my birth defect, but I didn't let that bother me. I just kept moving forward. I didn't let anything stop me from doing what I had to do. I just smiled and killed everybody with kindness because having confidence in yourself is very important. I learned that at a young age you should just be yourself. My birth defect didn't stop me from acting like a normal person because to me, I am normal. I just have to get around differently knowing that I had to get around different had a lot of struggles trying to reach places that I couldn't reach because I was too short but I managed because I would always grab ladders or chairs to get the job done. I had a lot of people that bullied me in school. People didn't understand you just need to be kind. A kind attitude changes everything and an understanding of something is always a relief. I'm glad I had parents that helped me with my confidence. Their courage and help in not treating me differently always made me feel good. May both of my parents rest in peace. NULL I've been on multiple TV shows, including RuPaul's Drag Race (2009), Bill Cunningham's show (2014) & Barcroft TV. I've made a name for myself and I have many fans whom I call my butterflies. They mean the world to me now. This goes back to being yourself and always loving you for you because you never know what could happen. I'm very blessed for all the experiences I've had and for how many wonderful letters and messages I receive on a daily basis from people that are either struggling with life or parents writing me asking me advice on how I managed with my disability. It's remarkable because I have parents asking me that because their kids have a similar disability. I have many fans who are part of the LGBT community writing in thanking me for being myself because it helps them come out and just be themselves, free and happy. I am a transgender woman and having a birth defect wasn't that easy, but I managed. I'm just happy to have helped the world and make people smile and appreciate themselves. It all starts with love. You can find more of my life on my social media sites. Always love yourself & don't let anything stop you from doing anything because one day it can happen.

Handi Pac The Handi Pac will be doing a kickstarter soon. It sell on Kickstarter for a promotional price vs my website. Let's bring this much needed bag to life, support my campaign and and enjoy a discount, or a make a financial donation to ensure the success of this project. Whether you know someone in a wheelchair or not, just know the satisfaction you swill feel supporting this social enterprise.

Riding competiton with a disease is impossible If you have a disease and a passion for horses, sometimes it's very difficult. I'm in a breeders club in Germany. If you are riding in such a club you might know what I mean. As my sister and mum started riding there, everybody was skeptical about me riding a horse. Competing Everybody in our club started in a competition, so one day I wanted to do that too. Wearing those cool white breeches that everybody is wearing on a competition and to make my horse have cute braids, like all the other pretty horses on a competition. If you want to be in a competition, you need to be healthy My parents always encouraged me to act like a normal child, so my mum made everything to make my wish come true. In Germany, we have a level for little kids, who are starting their first competitions. The kids need to ride 15 to 20 minutes trot and gallop with a few short pauses. My mum talked to every judge before I started, that I can make a break if I have to. Most of them understand, but some of them asked my mother why would I ride if I am ill? Never give up Sometimes it was really hard for me that other people think you don't have a right to act normal when you have a disease. Nowadays we don't tell anybody and I ride in the test and if I have to make a break, I make a break! That's it, nobody else needs to tell me what I have to do with my body or what I don't have to, because I think everyone knows his body best and everybody knows when he or she needs to stop. So please don't judge people if they want to do some sports, despite their disease, let them do, they know what's best for them. My Disease If you want to know, what's my disease you only need to read my last entry. See you soon. :)

Keeping a smile on my face & finding my confidence Hey! My name is Jaleesa Graham (@jaleesagraham) and I am 28 years old from New Jersey. I was born missing the lower half of my right arm, but I have never let that stop me from pursuing my dreams. Although I have not always been as self-confident as I am today, and I have had my share of ups and downs, I always manage to keep a positive attitude and a smile on my face. Advocate for Inclusion & Accessibility I am a model, actress, mother and foster mother to 3 wonderful children (6, 3 & 1). In my career I work hard to advocate for inclusion and accessibility in the industry, representation is so important. Growing up I never saw anyone that looked like myself, it’s so important for children to be able to see someone that looks like them. I take pride in being a role model. Finding your inner beauty I love to spread positivity and embrace my uniqueness, beauty is truly a word that is limitless. There are so many different types of beauty. It’s so important to me to broaden the idea of beauty, and show a different side. We are all unique and our uniqueness is the best thing that we have, so always own it and rock it! No one can be you better than you, You are perfect just the way that you are. “To wish you were someone else it to waste the person you are.”

Unstoppable My name is Paulo Manuel Guerrero and I was 19 years old at the time of my accident which left me a T3 complete. On Canada day I was riding my motorcycle coming back from a friend's when I was involved in an accident. I was hit from the back and proceeded to roll until coming to an abrupt halt thanks to a parked car. I was laying on the ground and I remember thinking I can't feel my legs. I tried to get but couldn't. Tried to sit up but couldn't. At this point, I realized what happened. I broke several of the vertebrae in my back but was left a paraplegic. I also broke my neck but luck was on my side because I was 1 centimeter away from being quadriplegic. At this point, I went into surgery and remember waking up scared and confused but most of all I felt alone. Everyone felt sorry but no one understood what I was going through. I was down on myself and the first few weeks were some of the hardest of my life, but with great support from the people around me I was able to pull myself out of the rut and start to be me again. Recovery took a while because of all the broken bones but once I got better I kept trying to pursue the things I love by getting back into an array of sports and really understanding to enjoy the little things because you never know when they might get taken away. I count myself blessed by my friends and family and relationship that really believed in me when I didn't. Now I'm 20 and find myself going back to rehab more and more often to talk to the people there and give them hope by being someone they can talk to and confide in. Currently, I'm training while waiting to go back into school to pursue my dream of being a therapist to help the community around me as they once did.

The Beginning Hello, My name is Jaquan Johnson (@moviestarquan). In 2010 I received the swine flu vaccine & from then on my life turned into hell. The teen health center in Columbus school told my mother if I didn’t get vaccinated I would become very ill & would possibly die, so my mother felt she had no choice but to vaccinate me. A week later after the vaccination, I started to get very bad pains in my left ear, then a bump started to grow. My mother took me to an ENT (ears, nose & throat specialist) and they thought it was a cyst so they did a surgery on my ear. The surgery they did made it worse. My ear grew the size of a baseball. The ENT specialist simply didn’t know what it was, so they referred me to the Yale New Haven Hospital. Going into Yale my life changed tremendously. They thought what I had was “cancerous”. Rosai Dorfman disease Every day of my life was a doctors visit. I was admitted to the hospital & was in and out of the hospital for over two and a half years. I had over 12 surgeries, missed a year of school, got homeschooled but it didn’t last because I was so weak and tired from all of the medications & surgeries I had. I had to have a bone marrow biopsy because they couldn’t think of anything else as they truly thought I had cancer. After a year and a half after surgeries, back and forth at the hospital, being admitted they finally diagnosed me with “Rosai Dorfman disease.” It's a rare orphan disease. There is no cure for this disease, and it comes and goes as it pleases. It is not only in my ear it is around my heart, groin area, and neck. Even being diagnosed I was still sick and going through pain. This disease is something that I have to live with for the rest of my life. Once my mother felt that I was going to survive she started contacting multiple lawyers for compensation for what happened to me but all of them turned her away because of the “Statute Of Limitations”. This is very unfair because I still have this disease. As I look back I thank god for keeping me here after everything that I been through because most kids wouldn’t have made it. He has me here for a reason.

Diagnoses My name is Gísli Snær and I will be 1.5 years in January (but 16 months adjusted). When my mummy was pregnant, all scans looked good but pap-a hormone was low. I was growing fine in my mummy's tummy but my mummy got really sick from preeclampsia when she was 31 weeks. The doctors performed a C-section at 31 weeks plus 6 days. I did not need any oxygen at the NICU but the nurses and doctors saw something was wrong because I had mild laryngomalacia, micrognathia, clasped thumb and very poor suction. The doctors did a DNA test. I have 1q34 chromosome deletion. Days, weeks & months after diagnoses I wasn’t always the happy, smiley, cheeky boy I am now. The first 6 months of my life I was always throwing up my NJ tube. My mummy and daddy always had to replace it and Í found it so traumatizing. It wasn’t till the doctors changed my formula and I got a G tube when I started throwing up a lot less. I started gaining weight and everything was better for me, my mummy, and daddy. I started feeling a lot better, could go to physiotherapy and swimming to work on my strength. I started showing progress (slow but progress) and I just had to go to the hospital for normal checkups, not to get IV or get my blood drawn from my head. I still can't walk or crawl but I am working hard towards it. Daily life Now I am always happy and smiley. Even though I have a really busy schedule and mummy and daddy make me do stuff I don't want to do - like feeding & therapy, I always wake up with a smile on my face. I love dancing, playing the piano, being with my friends, swimming and traveling. My mummy and daddy take me everywhere, I've been to Spain, Italy, and took a road trip across Iceland. Next thing on my to do list is to go to Florida and see Disneyland. I can't wait because I love seeing new places, meeting people, and exploring the world. 😀 My future is bright and I cannot wait to see what it holds.

Where it all began I was living a full, happy life when I unexpectantly had a minor head injury while out on a picnic one day that changed my life forever. I hit my head hard on a tree and treated it with a simple ice pack, but as the days went on my head seemed to hurt more, not less, until I ended up in the ICU unable to swallow properly, vomiting, dizzy and with the feeling of so much pressure pushing out the very bottom of my skull. So I was in complete shock when my MRI came back and showed I had a condition called a Chiari Malformation, which was exactly what it felt like - where the brain has no space in your skull so 'slips' out the base of your skull placing pressure on the spinal cord and a restriction of spinal fluid flow amongst other interesting symptoms. Chiari Malformation is usually a congenital condition but research shows up to 30% of people can be symptom-free until a head trauma of some kind happens, which seemed to be true in my case. Chasing more opinions. With the news that the only treatment was a brain surgery called a Chiari Decompression, involving having a piece of my skull removed to make more space for the brain, yet no guarentees that it would work, I slowed down the process and wanted to make sure I could get a second opinion, research as much as I could about my condition, and try everything possible to avoid brain surgery if I could. I was scared - I was in my 30's, I ran my own business, I had a young son, and most of what I read online was incredibly negative. I spent a year becoming consumed by this research, trying a myriad of medications, both alternate, eastern and western treatments but my health was decling to the point where I knew I had to take a chance on this surgery as I was barely coping anymore with a life restricted by chronic daily pain and I was out of options. At this point it was becoming not only a physical battle but a mental battle as I lost site of hope and could no longer find anything to look forward to knowing the pain would probably keep me away from any important events or social functions. Self Discipline and Choosing Wise Friendships After I had decided to proceed with the surgery I decided it was no longer helpful for me to be reading particular chat forums about Chiari where there was a lot of negativity - I realized that there are many more people out there who have great sucess stories but they are out there now living their lives, not sitting aroung complaining on forums - so I wanted to make a commitment at that point that I would tell my success story on the other side and bring hope to those who were potentially as scared as I was about making the right decision regarding their surgery. I also found that being wise in choosing the friendships I allowed to speak into my life at that time really important, and that even throughout the healing journey I surrounded myself with encouragement and not friends who meant well but would throw a pity party or want to talk about the pain, but rather friends that would help me focus on the future and laugh and smile. Surgery Day By the time the surgery day came I was excited and ready. Of course I was nervous but outweighing the nerves was the anticipation that this could be the day that gave me my life back. I knew the recovery would be hard but I knew the temporary pain would be nothing compared to the long term gain. I was excited! It still feels sureal now to say the words "brain surgery" and I can't believe I did it! The Healing Journey I won't pretend that the healing jourey wasn't rough, there were times nurses would say "just take it one day at a time" and I was thinking I couldn't even take it for another 10 minutes! I felt like every day there was no improvement but as I had heard a couple of encouraging voices I did find along the journey say, is that one day I would just wake up and turn a corner, and this proved very true. Around the three week mark, the pain was just less, I could think clearly, and was able to get comfortable on my pillow and sleep. And each day from there on I feel stronger and stronger. I still need to be patient and know I have a long way to go - but the encouragement of the turnaround is enough to give me so much hope for the future that I have already started to dream again, something I haven't been able to do in a while. Final thoughts When I was asked to share my story on this site, I had a moment where I wondered what I possibly had to offer to encourage anyone - I just went through a horrific time of pain and hopelessness and cried many tears. But then I realized some of the greatest comfort I found was in connecting with, or just hearing about other people who were stuck in challenging health seasons as well, and that they weren't alone. That it is okay, to not be okay all the time. That being scared about surgery doesn't mean you are weak, or that having a cry doesn't mean you're not strong. I am a Christian, so I found my faith an absolute rock to stand on, but another thing I found really hard was asking for help from others when I needed it. I had spent so long thinking that being strong meant not relying on others but now I know it means being part of a community. The community may not mean someone who lives down the street, in fact my greatest support came from a Chiari patient who lives across the other side of my country, so don't be afraid to ask for that support if it helps you. And never lose hope. Finding peace amongst the storm is possible and you can do it. You are never alone. xo

There is so much more than meets the eye Lincoln has a congenital limb difference, he simply acknowledges this is how he was born and it won't stop him doing or trying anything. He just turned 5 and has achieved so much already, swimming, cycling, playing rugby, rock climbing you name it he will try it. His favorite activities are climbing (literally anything) making daring leaps, riding his bike, going to Legoland and Motiongate and playing with his friends. Lincoln tells me daily everything he wants to be when he grows up including being an astronaut and parachute off the moon, build skyscrapers, be a police officer with a dog, be a pilot and a super fast racer on his bike. His limb difference will not hold him back and he refuses to accept anyone trying to tell him otherwise. He is strong, capable and will make his dreams happen. Our dream for him is to meet others with limb differences and see first hand just how amazing life with a limb difference can be.

Beginning of my journey with Muscular Dystrophy I (@kloyouknow) was born with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. I grew up using a manual wheelchair, able to push myself wherever I wanted to go. I was able to keep up with my friends and brother, take tap and jazz classes, dance at family weddings with my cousins; basically, live a normal life. As I got older and it became necessary to use a power wheelchair, I gained an even bigger amount of independence. I could help out with chores, go places that weren't as easy to maneuver in a manual chair, "run" the mile with my friends in gym class. That was all great. I loved feeling like a "Normal" kid. But questions still circled with what my future would hold. Would I continue to lose muscle strength? Would I be more dependent on others? Would my life remain as good as it was? As my strength declined, I started developing Scoliosis. I endured a 10-hour surgery to correct my curve and spent 9 days in the hospital plus the rest of the summer recovering at home. Life went on with Muscular Dystrophy Fast forward to when I was 14 years old. I was steadily losing weight and not sleeping or eating enough for my age. I'm a shallow breather and I was using all of my calories to breathe. After a few weeks, my parents took me to the ER where it was ultimately decided I needed a feeding tube placed in my stomach. The next day, the staff inserted a temporary feeding tube through my nose. They did not check the placement of the tube, as they should have done. They started to feed me the liquid nutrition but within the hour, I coded and stopped breathing. Due to my small jaw opening, they could not intubate me. They tried but ended up knocking my two front teeth out in the process. After all of this, they rushed me in to surgery for an emergency tracheostomy. During this surgery, they collapsed my lung but that's the least of my worries since they saved my life. I was put on a ventilator to help my lung heal and my body rest. A few weeks later, I went in for the surgery for the feeding tube in my stomach. The doctor did not read my chart and knocked my teeth out again as she was trying to insert the x-ray scope. After having my teeth knocked out twice in such a short amount of time, I needed a double root-canal to save my teeth. I was in the hospital for 5 weeks. 1 planned and 2 unplanned surgeries later, I was able to come home and recover on my own. All of these changes really put my mental health in question. I had a hard time coping and adjusting to this new way of life. I had bad anxiety attacks just thinking about all the changes. I questioned why all this happened to me. I questioned if I'd be accepted like I was before. I worried and cried a lot over the "What if's?". After talking with a therapist weekly and discovering my love of music, I really started realizing that while things were different, life would go on, and I could move on and start the rest of my life. the good returned to my life After everything that had happened, finally the good returned to my life. Normalcy and new routines were established. I graduated high school with honors and scholarship offers! Yay! I went to college and studied Social Work. While it wasn't a typical college experience, it was the perfect fit for me and I couldn't ask for a better education. I'm now applying to get my masters to become a licensed therapist that can help children and families go through hard times. I want to be the person I needed and had in my teen years. My Normal All of this to say, I doubted and worried myself to tears for no reason. My life in a wheelchair, with a trach and ventilator are my normal. It limits me but I do not let it stop me from achieving my goals and reaching my dreams. I can do this!