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Overcoming barriers *Trigger warning: #domesticviolence*⁣ ⁣• • Hi, my name is Akii (@adventuress.akii) & I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I live with multiple complex chronic conditions. My life began quite traumatically when I was born with #necrotisingenterocolitisis, a rare life threatening gastrointestinal disease. I grew up in & out hospital, having surgeries, procedures and scans. I had my first spinal surgery at 16, a thymoma tumour removed a 19, have had bilateral wrist surgery & multiple spinal surgeries. Nowadays, I live with barriers & many challenges related to #EhlersDanlosSyndrome, #fibromyalgia, #migraines, & #chronic pain plus #vulvadynia, #interstitialcystitis, #MCAS, #POTS & #spinalstenosis.⁣ I work in #genderequality and in disability & #chronicillness advocacy as the Executive Director of @chronicpainaustralia. I am deeply passionate about people’s rights to live a fulfilling life despite challenges with their health. Fighting for gender equality & #violenceprevention is also very close to my heart due to my own personal experiences with domestic & intimate partner violence. Being hurt by one of my exes is the reason why I have a spinal injury & I deal with spinal + leg pain every day.⁣ Each day is a reminder of what he did to me and can be re-traumatizing. Travelling & spending time with my rescue #sausagedogs @minidachieduo are my absolute favourite pastimes. Although travelling is super difficult with my chronic illnesses & #disability, I have serious #wanderlust & visited 35+ countries. I have goals to see as much as the world as possible & to show the world this is possible.⁣ I am also a model who is very passionate about the importance of diversity and representation. While chronic illness & poor health has changed the trajectory of my life in more ways than I can count, I am so blessed to be in a loving long term relationship, in my dream job (a job I never thought I could ever achieve!) & despite not having family in my life (had to move out at 16) I still have amazing people in my life ❤️.⁣ I love connecting with like minded people, do follow me if my story resonates with you in anyway ☺️💕. • • • #spoonie #babewithamobilityaid #awarecauses #disabledandcute #bluehair

כיצד איבדתי חלק ממני בגיל 15 וסבלתי מפגיעה בחוט השדרה היי, שמי מבאלי ואני בת 19. ב-2013 עברתי תאונת ירי. נקלעתי לחילופי אש במהלך שוד ונוריתי בזרועי. הכדור נכנס לגופי בצדי השמאלי ופגע בגבי. הוא עבר דרך עמוד השדרה שלי ונתקע בין צלעותיי. נכנס מצד שמאל ועבר ימינה, אך מעולם לא יצא. הכדור עדיין בתוכי עד היום. נפגעתי בחוליה T6. כשהתעוררתי בבית החולים אמרו לי הרופאים שלעולם לא אוכל עוד להשתמש ברגליים, אז אני צריכה להשתמש בכיסא גלגלים. בהתחלה הייתי בסדר עם זה כי לא חשבתי על זה הרבה. כשהשתחררתי מבית החולים, התחלתי להרגיש את הכאב של "לאבד" את הרגליים. התחלתי לחשוב מחשבות שליליות על החיים שלי, שלעולם לא אהיה מספיק טובה וראיתי את עצמי כשונה מאנשים "נורמליים". ב-2014 הלכתי למרכז שיקום לעמוד השדרה ואז התחלתי להבין את המצב ולקבל את העובדה כי לא הייתי מסוגלת להשתמש ברגליים שלי, כי עד אז לא האמנתי. זה היה ממש קשה כי אפילו הייתי צריכה לעבור בית ספר. עברתי מבית הספר המרכזי לבית ספר מיוחד שבו יכלו לתמוך בי. היה קשה לקבל את האדם שהייתי, אבל ידעתי שברגע שאתחיל לקבל את עצמי, כך אצליח להמשיך הלאה עם החיים שלי. עכשיו אני אוהבת את עצמי יותר מתמיד. יש לי ביטחון מחדש ואני תמיד רואה את עצמי כטובה והיפה ביותר. אחד האנשים שעזרו לי לקבל בחזרה את ההערכה העצמית שלי היא lellamarie@ היפה מהאינסטגרם שגם היא בכיסא גלגלים, אבל ניתן לראות כי היא מאושרת עם מי שהיא ואני מעריצה אותה מאד! אני גאה באדם שאני היום ויודעת שאני יכולה לעשות הכל! How i lost part of me at the tender age of 15 & suffered a spinal cord injury Hi, my name is Mbali (@mballydube) and I'm 19 years old. In 2013 I was in a gunshot accident. I was caught up in a crossfire during a robbery and was shot in my arm. The bullet went inside my body on my left side and damaged my back. The bullet went through my spine and was lodged in between my ribs. It entered from the left side and went through to the right, but never came out. I still have the bullet inside me to this day. I was hit in the T6 vertabrae. When I woke up in the hospital, the doctors told me that I would never be able to use my legs again, so I would need to use a wheelchair. At first I was fine with it because I didn't think much of it. When I was dismissed from the hospital, I started to feel the pain of "losing" my legs. I started having these negative thoughts about my life thinking that I will never be good enough and saw myself different from 'normal' people. In 2014 I went to a spinal rehab center and that's when I started to briefly understand my situation and accept the person that I was at the time and accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to use my legs because I didn't believe I will never walk again. It was really hard because I even had to change schools. I went from a mainstream school to a special school where they would be able to accomodate me. It was hard to accept the person I was, but knew that as soon as I started accepting myself, the sooner I would move on with my life. Now, I love myself more than ever. I have this newfound confidence, and I always see myself as the best and most beautiful. One of the people who helped me get my self-esteem back is an instagram beauty @lellamarie who is also in a wheelchair, but you can see that she's happy with who she is and I admire her a lot! I'm proud of the person that I am today and know that I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!

In just a few decades, technology became invaluable in many different ways and for many different people. In fact, it can be safely said that it has served folks from all walks of life in one way or another, making working and living easier and more convenient. And yes, there’s little doubt that it has been a real boonto people with disabilities by providing easier access to more opportunities. If you have a disability, it’s prime time to take advantage of the many resources and tools that technology and the internet provide for personal and career growth. Here are some of the ways you can do exactly that. Tip #1: Start a remote venture. It can be safely said that the internet is the great equalizer leveling the playing field in more ways than one. In this day and age, there’s no dearth of remote jobs or home-based business opportunities and it’s just a matter of who takes advantage. For persons with disabilities, this can be a real godsend as the very nature of it—that is to say, online and remote workmakes limitations less of a factor, possibly even bordering on inconsequential. In fact, per Yoocan, there are many success storiesof people with disabilities making a name for themselves in their respective fields. No doubt, starting your own business—and in turn, becoming your own boss—is among the best and most compelling ways to pursue a career over the internet. This can be done via a number of business models For instance, you can choose to sell products that you’re passionate about, or bank on your talents by offering your services as a freelance writer, photographer, proofreader, and many more. The best part is, you can easily tap intoonline resources that help you with starting an online business from start to finish, leaving out much of the guesswork. On another note, it’s also more than possible to find gainful employment remotely. More and more companies are now hiring online, so chances are, you can easily find a job that suits your experience and skill set. The Balance notes there are even sites dedicated to job seekers with disabilities so these are a great place to start when looking for remote employment. Tip #2: Get things done with ease and efficiency. In the same way that it’s now easier to find lucrative career opportunities by using technology, so, too, technology can support daily tasks. Assistive technologyhas grown in leaps and bounds over the years, so depending on your disability, you can find mobility devices or tools, as well as apps and software to assist your cognition and/or provide for your sensory needs (e.g., voice recognition, screen readers, etc.). Similarly, the right tech tools can also assist you in running your business or in your remote career. Case in point, you’ll find that through good communication is critical to business growth, it can be a challenge if you’re working with a remote team. However, this can be easily overcome with key collaboration improvements such as by making use of the robust features of an app like Slack to keep team members on the same page with dedicated project channels, or even a business-wide newsfeed to keep everyone in the know. Tip #3: Find ways to consistently improve. Finally, nothing beats continuous improvement, so consider taking advantage of remote learning opportunities to advance your career or grow your business. Online courses are broadly available and accessible these days, so consider taking advantage of honing your skillsand competencies when you can. Suffice to say technology can be a very good friend, whether you have a disability or otherwise; you just need to use it wisely and make sure that you benefit from it. Who knows? It could very well usher in the career growth and/or change that you’ve been waiting for. Photo via Pexels.com

This is how Abygail's Story Begins On November 19, 2016, our angel was born. We named her Abygail, but Aby wasn't just an ordinary baby. When we were 6 months pregnant with Aby, we were expecting to find out the gender of my precious baby, but little did we know the news they were going to give us. A doctor came in the ultrasound room, a man we have never seen before with a nurse. Their faces said it all, something was wrong. I asked what was wrong, they wouldn't answer, I asked repeatedly what was wrong. Then finally the doctor came closer and told my husband and I about Spina Bifida. They gave me two options; to continue with the pregnancy or have an abortion. I thought to myself, who am I to take a human being's life away? At the end, the doctor left and went home. I had so many questions and wondered if this were my fault. We broke the news to our family and friends. They obviously didn't know how to react, so we gave them time. Our family & friends were incredibly supportive and understanding. During the pregnancy there were dozens of doctors that were telling us such grieving information. They said that Abygail wasn't going to able to "tinkle" by herself, that she wouldn't be able to crawl nor stand by herself. Then on November 19, 2016, our angel was born. We named her Abygail, but Aby wasn't just an ordinary baby, she was a miracle. After months of therapy and several doctors appointment, Abygail left the doctors in shocks on how she's willing to do anything without help. All those doubtful comments they made when she wasn't even born left them speechless and questioning if Abygail really has Spina Bifida. Abygail is crawling, standing, "tinkling", and even dance by herself! We realized that this disability that Aby has isn't a bad nor horrible thing. Her disability makes her who she is, a funny, caring, lovable, adorable, baby girl. Although she is really small, she is fierce, sassy, and extremely bossy like a lion. We wouldn't change a thing about her, we love her with all of our hearts and are proud of our one & only Abygail. She is a warrior, and forever she will be. ♥️

Hi my name is Efrat. I'm 41 years old with Cerebral Palsy (CP). In the past, I used to stay behind the scenes, close to the walls and always in corners, going where people would suggest me to go, or doing what was expected from a person in my condition which was basically not being in the way. At that time, loneliness & sadness were great, I was even silent to my own self which was hard. I felt that my disability was a mistake in God's big production line. I used to think that if god is all really all that mighty what was his plan for me? I didn't know what I was supposed to do, there was no written manual on how to live my life, and there was no school or university that teaches how to make it in life and more importantly how to love yourself. I have a bachelor degree in psychology and education, license in teaching special needs and have had some interesting personal relationships, but still I didn’t feel whole. Sometimes I felt not understood, generally hearing the questions but not letting the answers flow out of me in their true way of expression not filtered and straight from the heart. The pain of the person with a disability is not just the physical one but the fear of being different, not fitting in, not being understood and sometimes staying behind. At the age of 35 I was lucky to be interviewed on TV on a program that wanted to hear my story and of other peoples that want to make changes in their lives for the better. Yes, me the silent girl with the disability going on national TV with nowhere to run, talk about fear treatment… I discovered that I have what to say, that I can speak load on my challenges, fears and dreams like anybody else. The more I talked on my life, my experience with my limitation, the do's and don'ts I've learned from and the importance of inclusion in society. I discovered that people are interested in hearing more, that they got inspired by my story and that it fits the general public and not only the people with disability or special needs community. I was overblown with love which made me feel accepted, feeling that people see me as an equal contributing person and possibly a friend. Today I am almost 41, listening a lot and sharing my thoughts with no fear to speak, I am here and visible to all, I am whole. I am happy with who I am, I am grateful for the lessons I have learned & like a good stove I've been cooked for a long time. I am here to help other discover about themselves, I am here to have communities understand each other, I am here to stay.

Eight years after the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster I was born in Minsk, Belarus where most of the fallout landed due to wind and rain. I was born with myelomeningocele, a type of Spina Bifida. My left leg had two feet and no bone structure. It needed to get amputated when I was two years old. My whole life, or at least since puberty when we get conscious about how we look to others, I wanted my prosthetic leg not to be obvious. I tried to hide it beneath a foam cover to make it look like a normal one at first sight. Now I want it to be obvious. I don't want it to be like a normal leg anymore because nothing and no one can hide the truth anyways as much as I'd love to sometimes. Sometimes I catch myself pretending to be something I'm not, but then people watch me and I realize they're looking at how I walk and they try to figure out what's "wrong" with me. Now I want them to see and I don't want them to guess anymore. I want it to be obvious. Now I will proudly present myself to the world how I was meant to be. Because how I was meant to be is perfectly right. Never ever feel ashamed of something you can't change! Be proud of how different you are. The more different you are, the more special you are!

Whatever you are physically, all of that matters less than what your heart contains." Our son Logan was born on December 2, 2015, and to all of our surprise, without his left hand and forearm. Initially we were nervous about whether or not he would be able to do everything, but that fear quickly faded. He shows us everyday that nothing is impossible. He's our hero. 💙

The Footstep That Changed Everything In early 2015, I quit my job, terminated my apartment lease and pushed through all the fear to live like a true backpacker. The first days after arriving in India were fearful, it was dark and we were in the wrong hoods. We overpaid a taxi to take us to our destination, a monastery in the far north. That's where we spent the upcoming two months, until one night. We slept in monasteries and hammocks because this was a hammock night. We walked on a narrow path towards a waterfall, our sleep-crib for the night. I slipped and fell seven meters before landing on a rock. I was unconscious for a few seconds while rolling downwards. I woke up a few meters from another 10m fall, my backpack was stuck in the ground which stopped my speeding downhill. Rescued in the Himalayas When I woke up my legs were feeling numb, I directed my focus on the beautiful night sky I had above me. At around 3,000 meters of altitude the sky is amazing. It's a living art with shining stars and planets. I felt peaceful with this focus. I had two friends with me who did everything they could to get help for me, there, far from everything on a cliff in the Himalayas. They found a group of Indians and an ambulance which came to my rescue. All the paramedics could do was bring a stretcher to the path, but not down to the rock where I was. "We have to take a leap of faith" I said. A big Indian guy carried me on his back, with four people holding me so I wouldn't lose my grip when we climbed upwards. Next up, the six amigos carried me on the stretcher. "Duuuuudes, I'm falling!" Those exact words came out of my mouth a few times. It was not an easy path back to the village where an old van with a red cross painted on the side waited for us. First we arrived to a small cement garage, it was like entering the devil's little cellar. There was a family, screaming in torture because a family member had just passed away. The nurse came with a big needle, my friend asked what it was. "Don't you trust us?" she replied, with an evil grin. Nope. We had to x-ray my back, so we bounced into another van painted with a red cross. This time, the van couldn't be ignited by key so they rolled it backwards down a steep. Our heads banged into the backdoor of the van while they tried to get the engine started, they succeeded the second try and we were on our way to a public hospital. Two x-rays and 40 hours later without a clue of what was going to happen a doctor came. "Hey dude, I could do this surgery for you, but I recommend you to go somewhere else," said the doctor. We took his advice, and my friend was on the phone for hours. After almost not getting a flight to Delhi where the good hospital was placed, we finally boarded a plane to pick us up. I underwent surgery in Delhi and laid there for a week, a fun week, because me and my friends kept high spirits (the Tibetan monks taught us A LOT about the mind & truth). Our flight home was on a regular Finnish passenger plane. I was happy I spoke Finnish because we almost were denied seats back home. Back in Sweden the rehab began. Life is full of surprises, I think we can overcome and grow from everything as long as we have faith. I hope you enjoyed reading a short version of how I became paralyzed, written in my third language. I am still a complete TH-12 paraplegic with a spinal cord injury. I use a wheelchair to move myself around. Bless all you warriors! <3 Sebastian "Loopwhoop" Westin

Multiple sclerosis Diagnosed at 17, I didn’t know what I was in store for. I had no idea what Multiple Sclerosis was and I didn’t know that I would need to readjust my whole life. In 2009 I was at college doing my A-levels, but one day I got double vision while walking through a shopping center and that was the start of it all! Through the years I’ve had many trials and tribulations, I’ve had many things taken from me, my speech, my ability to feed myself, and my mobility. Every symptom and relapse I have had has had a lasting effect on me. This disease has completely changed who I am. For a long time I stayed inside I didn’t have much communication with other people and I didn’t go outside, it was a very sad time. I didn’t know what my purpose was and what I could offer to this world, disability was such a strange place to be but I found a whole community of people online I could relate to. I believe that I’m going through these trials for the purpose to share with other people, uplifting people, and showing that even though the dark times there’s always worse! Life is not over it just gets really tough at times but we can still do it. I’m 30 now so I have missed a large chunk of my adolescence, But I aim to make my 30s much more considered. Multiple Sclerosis has no cure! treatments for the disease have great side effects and for me, nothing really tamed the beast. Finding something new I tried two DMTs (disease-modifying treatments) diet, holistic therapy, and exercise over the years, however, they all failed to make managing this disease any easier. 2021 I was put forward for a stem cell transplant to help halt disease progression. The treatment is aggressive and involves chemotherapy to clear out my immune system. The aim is to completely start again without multiple sclerosis. I spent three weeks in hospital for the process and to start recovering, was intense, to say the least. Things feel harder at the moment because I’m weaker and less able than I was before, but my optimism for the future outweighs my current struggle. I have found documenting my journey and blogging has really helped me express what I’m going through and show other people that there is someone else in the same position that they can talk to or get advice from. We won’t know for several years whether or not the transplant has had its designed effect but until then I’ll continue advocating for MS, blogging, and trying my very best to smile.

I am Mohsen Pourghasem, a Para-climber. I'm 49 years old. I lost my four left hand fingers when I was only 13 years old. I started sport and rock climbing three and half years ago I was the firist Para-climber to ascent in Alam Kuh in August 2015. Alam Kuh (Alam Kooh) is the second highest peak in Iran with elevation of 4,848 meters. The 800 (4050m to 4850m) m high, steep granite north face provides some of the most difficult and interesting mountain routes in the country and the climbs rank alongside major climbing routes in the European Alps. In addition to local climbers, the north face attracts European climbing teams. The climbing of Alam Kuh via all north routes are class five high altitude technical climbs which need hard struggling with rock, ice and rock falls. A team of two members, Harry Rost (German) and Amir Alai (Iranian), climbed it first in 1964. French and Polish teams established three more routes until the Islamic revolution in 1978. After my two and a half year experience of rock climbing I would like to reach my dream that was to ascend in Alam Kuh wall. However most of my activity was in sport climbing for world para-climbing championship events. But, I love rock climbing in nature and I have some limited experience in Iran rock walls such as Bisoton Wall and Pol-e-khab routs. My young friend who helped me in this ascent was Farshad Mijoji. His age is the same as my son. Yes we are from two generations. Farshad is a professional big wall climber. He has some experience in Trango wall and Tsaranoro. We began moving into Alam Kuh area on August 24th, 2015. We had planned to drive to Vandarbon camp and start our trekking climbing the next day. We separated the main technical means to carry by mule and began climbing toward Alamchal on the morning of August 25th. Since the climbing season had ended, the Alamchal area was quiet. This quiet condition was a very well situation in Alam Kuh routs. We had decided to climb Harry Rost route. Our other two friends (Bahram and Mohammad) were supposed to follow us to take some pictures and films during my ascent on the wall, because my ascent was the first para-climber ascent in Alam Kuh wall, and even first record in the world. We woke up at 3:30 a.m. on August 26th and left our tents at 4:30 in the morning. We had to pass through the glacier and rocks of Alamchal area and after crossing the hazardous area (where stones would fall) got to the starting point of the wall and arrived at the route at 6:30 a.m. Bahram and Mohammad started climbing and we followed them at 7:15 a.m. The sunlight helped our climbing and made us warm. Frashad was the first climber in the first pitch and I was the first climber in the second pitch. After a few pitches we preferred to pass the camera team, because their climbing was so slow and Mohammad couldn’t climb with enough speed. We had to reach to the top of the route latest by afternoon and our ascent plan was for one day. We had to climb 11 pitches before the Falling area near the top of the peak and pass 3 pitches in the Falling area. So, we went past the camera team before the French two-way. Now, we were climbing better and smoothly. After the French two-way a stone suddenly dropped near us like a shooting from a gun. Some parts of the Horry Rost route passes from slots, therefore, the route is in the shadows. So, the holds are covered by ice. This situation depends on the weather. We had a hard situation in those parts, because one weeks ago Alam Kuh had a snowy weather. Horry Rost route has 5.10 B – 5.11 C and this route grade can be increased according to ice and weather situation. We climbed 9 pitches without resting because we were worried about our time. After the 9th pitch we took some minutes to rest when we were sure that our time is enough well and we could finish the rout in afternoon. We continued our climb and finished main part of Harry Rost route at 16:30 p.m. (end of 11th pitches). We were so excited and of course I was more excited because this was my first ascent. Farshad had climbed this route 4 times and this was his fifth ascent. He believed this ascent was harder than his previous ones because of cold weather, ice and situation of the holds. Now, we had to pass three pitches in the Falling area. The Falling area was so slippery. You have to be patient to pass this part, especially after climbing exhaustion. Finally, we passed the Falling area and reached to the peak at 6:00 p.m. I shouted joyfully and was so excited at the summit. Yes, first para-climber…me… Mohsen Pourghasem could ascent to Alam Kuh north face wall.

guess the clue’s in the title on where im going with this one!! Before i get to the present I’m going to go back a few years or more I’ll probably waffle on, try not to but this is me so you’ve not much hope!! Haha sorry…. From a young age I’ve watched my mum work so hard from being a life guard/swimming instructor, trampoline coach, to teaching hockey at my school (yes at my school, we all know mum’s love to embrace the whole embarrass your kids my mum did it oh so very well) then starting her own forever business back in 1993, doing all this while fighting with her own body changes as she like me has muscular dystrophy, so watching my mum she became my ultimate hero sticking two fingers up to muscular dystrophy and never letting it stop her from doing what the hell she wanted, So I definitely wasn’t going to do anything less than the same when it came my work life… I’ve always been a hard worker (well in my eyes!!) my first ever paid job was at 14 as a pot wash, a couple of times I was lucky enough to be a waitress at a restaurant called Softleys in Market Bosworth a country side bus ride away from my village, the reason my mum!! She probably wanted to install in me that nothing comes for free (with rolling eyes and really mum.. in true teen style of course) if I wanted my beautiful horse Tom then off to work at weekends i went to help pay for feed etc, not that I’m actually sure if mum ever took any money off me!! I’ve worked some weird and wonderful jobs in my walking days from Turkey plucking at Christmas one year with my best friend Leanne when we was 16 now that was a stinky job (no gobble gobbles crossed my mouth that year for sure!!) couple of cleaning jobs, retail, horse yard, restaurant, David Lloyd Leisure, then i found the pub trade and well the stories I could let you but that’s a whole blog to itself I’m afraid!! In 2004 my life changed ‘forever‘ Did I ever think I would be in the situation where working the job I loved would become a problem no definitely not I believed I was invincible that if I just carried on pushing I would be fine, unfortunately my body and muscular dystrophy had a very different plan. For 10 years it was easier to tell people i had retired and happy with that, hmm I’m not to sure people really fell for that, I didn’t become a complete jobless bum I did a few bits of charity work here and there. Present day… Where are me and the go-kart now, After taking to few close friends in the same business plus my mum and of course my hubby whose answer was ‘do what you want baby, up to you’ man of many words my husband lol, but secretly delighted in the thought that I would finely have something to do i might actually stop driving him more crazy than he already is, But only a little!! So with nothing more but either being inside my own head for the rest of my life (trust me no one needs to be in my head) or doing something that could change my life “forever” three guesses what I did, yes i got off my wheels and did something to change my life for the better, I took the plunge as my mum did in 1993 and started my own business. Was I scared er yes!! But excited at the same time so many mixed emotions, i was entertaining into a world I had only watched my mum do, the brain is in over drive by now saying oh wait i wasn’t brainy enough for this what was I doing “crazy lady” you’re in wheelchair and have muscular dystrophy with one arm that kind of works and the rest of your body laughs at you!! After telling myself over and over to just shut up Kerry just do it, a year on was it the best decision i made or a bad one?? I don’t know you tell me…if a bad decision is having my confidence back to want to do more with my life than just sit on my butt (yes pun intended!!), my self-worth I have my smile back I wake up every morning with a smile ready to start the day excited to see what the day is going to bring me, I go to bed grateful to have met and spoken to some truly amazing people, I go out more than I have done in years I spend more time and talk with real human beings!! my passion for life and wanting to show my husband the world in my go-kart is t a high, most of all I have ME back the person I thought I’d lost a long time ago is back with full force, I see the world as I use to full of possibilities, i laugh more and have fun with others I even laugh at myself again, does it take me longer to get things done more than most people of course, one working arm bandit and all that!! Do I care god why should I great things come from taking your time!! (Definitely in my case) Is it hard work of course is it fun though (remember nothing comes for free) do I feel some days I work my wheels off definitely giving up is not an option my want is greater. To me I’m just doing what everyone else out there is doing working to making their dreams come true and having the best time doing it, Is it luck that i get to work alongside some incredibly inspiring people that make me want to be the best person I can be, i want to be the same as the people I’m surrounded by an inspiration to others even if it take me the rest of my life, so no we all make our own yellow brick road in life if you choose not to change your life then more fall you if I can change my life with a body that hates me everyday and my own set of wheels underneath to run people over with!! (joking or am i) then you can… So my ending was this a good or bad decision??

I can & I will! I was born in Leicester and at the age of five, I contracted polio. I was one of the last few people in the UK to have contacted polio and it initially left me paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors said I would never walk again and my survival rate because of the severity of the polio was 10%. After many years in the hospital I partially recovered and got most of my upper body strength back but I'm still quite disabled with one leg fully paralyzed, the other leg at 25%, one arm at 50% so I've only got one limb at hundred percent. Unfortunately, my problems didn't stop there because my father could not accept my disability and as a result, I had to endure a lot of physical and psychological trauma as a child. On top of this, and also being black which comes with its own unique issues. Despite my challenges, I went on to university and achieved a Masters degree in business administration (MBA). Equipped with this I decided to tackle the job market only to find that black and disabled people are heavily discriminated against. After years in dead-end jobs, the charity finally gave me a decent job and I was there for several years. Unfortunately, in 1999 I developed the late effects of polio. In a nutshell, polio can strike twice because 30 or 40 years afterward 80% of polio suffers start to experience muscle ache and chronic fatigue. As a result, I left my job. However, there was a silver lining because it allowed me to develop my interest in the Internet and in late 2000 I set up my first company (Easy Internet Services) using a credit card as cash flow because I was completely broke. I ended up working for the likes of the Guardian, Coop, and Amstrad. In 2004, I set up my second company which is based in Bournemouth. It is the largest free web hosting provider in the UK. I've been invited to meet the Prime Minister, I'm a DWP partner and I have won various business awards. Last year I released my book which is called I Can. I Will and it went on to become a No.1 best seller on Amazon. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Esho https://www.amazon.co.uk/CAN-WILL-Overcoming-Disability-Racism/dp/1781333173