“An able-bodied person sent me a DM and told me to ‘do my research.’”
‘Disabled is INCORRECT. Do a better job.’ My daughter CHOSE this word.’: Mom to disabled daughter says ‘I will continue to raise her voice’
‘Don’t stare at my little girl.’: Mom of ‘differently abled’ daughter pleas others to ‘diversify your feed’
“I stepped in front of her to ‘shield’ her from their questioning, gaping eyes.”
‘I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. I was there for everyone else but not for myself.’: Limb difference advocate urges ‘stop comparing yourself to others’
“I was a people pleaser. ‘If I put their needs before mine, maybe they’ll like me more.’ Deep down, I wasn’t happy with myself.”
‘I was called freak, alien, monster. ‘When will this end? Did I make a mistake by not amputating my leg?’: Limb difference advocate says ‘I’m proud to stand out’
“I had a giant cage-looking contraption on my leg 75% of the time. The names and whispers echoed through the hallways. The pain took its toll on me.”
‘Ten fingers, ten toes?’ The tech was eerily quiet. ‘No.’: New mom celebrates beautiful unknowns of baby born with limb differences
“‘Oh my God. He’s out. He’s here.’ They put my gooey little man on my chest. ‘Is everything okay?’ My heart sunk. ‘There’s something different about the baby’s foot, too.’ The doctor unwrapped a fin, and then a flipper.”
‘Your baby has a significant limb discrepancy.’ I wanted to hide my pregnancy. I didn’t talk about the baby.’: Mom shares journey with ‘suffocating’ postpartum depression
“After the news, I withdrew. I felt trapped, suffocated by own body, my own thoughts. These were NOT the feelings I imagined having as a mother.”
‘If you don’t like me because of my hands, your loss.’ Our differences make us unique. We’re enough just the way we are.’: Best friends advocate for limb differences, ‘You’re perfectly made’
“Never seeing anyone else like you can feel isolating. Most of my life, I’d carry a jacket over my arm, even in hot summer months. I didn’t want to acknowledge I was different. Now, I’m proud.”
‘Mom, I don’t like my hands.’ Her gloves always had an extra space. She came to me with her piggy bank, begging for four-fingered gloves.’: Little girl with limb difference ‘beaming with joy’ after gifted custom gloves
“For the first time, she realized she was ‘different.’ This was her cascading moment. This meant something. I put it out there, hoping for ideas, suggestions, anything. And the glorious interconnectivity of the internet answered back.”
‘I thought you were cute until I found out about your hand.’ This CRUSHED me. I thought I was unlovable.’: Woman with limb difference urges, ‘Be kind to others’
“I was known as ‘Chelsea with one finger.’ A little girl started screaming like she’d seen a monster. She pointed straight at my hand and screamed as if it were a feral animal coming at her.”
‘He saw my hand. ‘I was born like this.’ He left and stopped talking to me. I knew then I didn’t want to hide it anymore.’: Woman shares limb difference acceptance journey, ‘I have the right to a normal life’
“People loved me, loved the photo of a girl smiling with all her heart, even though she’s missing a limb. They saw my strength.”
