“We decided to build a small barn and live in it temporarily. Two weeks from being able to move in, I took a bad ladder fall down the side of the house. What little cash we had left now had to become living expenses. But, God!”
‘I was in a wheelchair for 3 months, unable to walk or make a living. We were homeless. Friends donated furniture, filled our pantry, and clothed us.’: Family stays hopeful after ‘losing everything’ in fire
‘I got a bad cold. Within 24 hours, I was fully paralyzed. Parents pulled their kids away like I was contagious.’: 12-year-old girl with Acute Flaccid Myelitis finds joy despite paralysis, ‘I love life and the people in it!’
“We all got a bad cold. They got better, but mine got worse. Three days later I was paralyzed and put on a ventilator to breathe. I was sedated and missed my birthday.”
‘What is she doing?’ I was rolling around the block when a little boy saw me and fell off his bike. He couldn’t take his eyes off me.’: Woman in wheelchair touched by stranger’s inclusive language
“The father mentioned nothing about sickness, weakness, disability, pity. There was no shaming the kid for asking inappropriate questions or for staring. No apologizing to me.”
‘What will my child become?’ My differences were thought of as less ‘cool.’ I was the target of bullying, both verbal and physical.’: Man with cerebral palsy says ‘you are more than the struggles you face’
“Once I made my way to middle and high school, things became a struggle. A disability is a difficult diagnosis, yes, but it isn’t the be-all, end-all of your story.”
‘Kerri, get a grip!’ the doctor said. I could only take Tylenol after surgery. I was sure I was going to die.’: Woman with arthrogryposis muscle disorder says ‘nothing is impossible with a fighter’s soul’
“I looked like a pretzel, but my mom wasn’t able to hold me for hours. Doctors started discussing ‘options.’ They told her I wouldn’t be able to do much. They said I would be better off if my parents decided to sign me over to the state. My mom immediately asked to be transferred.”
‘We all see you ‘weak links’ and are judging accordingly. And we won’t forget.’: Woman with underlying health conditions urges ‘be the hero in this nightmare and stay home’
“I have a higher risk of not surviving COVID-19. I know, staying home all day is hard. Be gentle to yourself. When we get out of this we won’t be asking each other, ‘How many pages did you finish in your novel?’ We will be celebrating for JUST GETTING THROUGH IT.”
‘I was awake, shaking in fetal position under a fence with my spinal chord split in half. ‘You need to start funeral arrangements. She won’t make it till morning.’: Paralyzed woman celebrates life after forced into motorcycle police chase
“He was drinking a lot and took some pills. I was forced onto his bike and he took off very fast, driving recklessly. Terrified, I clung to him. A cop quickly pulled behind us. He sped off at 100 mph. That’s when it happened. I didn’t wake up until a month and a half later. ‘This can’t be real.’ I was heartbroken with a pain I’d never felt before. ‘Where are my babies?!’ When they came to visit, they wouldn’t even come near me. They couldn’t recognize me anymore.”
‘I fell straight through the attic to the concrete garage floor. Cheated on for years, all I could do was wonder, ‘Why? How long before he decides to move on?’: After accident, woman says husband has ‘shown me what real love looks like’
“Life seemed perfect. Everything was falling into place. Then a tragic, freak accident changed everything. ‘Your bones resemble a scrambled jigsaw puzzle.’ I am learning to walk again. ‘Whatever happens, we are in this together.’ He had to lift me up, carry me around, bathe me, and feed me. His life changed just as much as mine did.”
‘I went on countless job interviews, but I didn’t ‘look the part.’ The second they saw me, the whole vibe changed.’: Woman with Nemaline Rod Myopathy embraces disability, ‘I want to be seen for the smart, fun, boss babe that I am’
“After graduation, I was excited to take on the world! That feeling quickly died. Every employer assumed I wasn’t qualified. I didn’t have a specific ‘look,’ or I didn’t fit the part. I realized I didn’t want to work someplace where I would be judged by the way I look, not by the work I contribute. Appearances matter, but they matter even more when you’re disabled. And the hardest part about being disabled isn’t being disabled. It’s fighting to be seen as an equal.”
‘You’re not special enough to be my girlfriend.’ I cried. He was embarrassed by my prosthetics.’: Amputee learns to own her uniqueness, ‘My life isn’t normal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way’
“The technician noticed something wrong with my legs. They were shaped like a boomerang. I only had 3 toes on each foot. My feet were turned inwards and pointed down, and my ankles couldn’t rotate. The doctors gave my parents a choice: ‘Amputate her legs or never let her walk.’ When I got pregnant, I wasn’t physically prepared for what was to come. I had no idea how it would affect my body, let alone my prosthetics. I was terrified.”
