Last night I was walking with my friend and she was talking to this guy and he looked over at me and said “hey why are you walking like that?” And he laughed a little after he said it; not necessarily in a mean way. And I just immediately responded by *very casually* saying “I have muscular dystrophy.” And he actually didn’t believe me so I had to convince him and finally he did…

I said afterwards, “you know, you need to open your eyes and see that there’s more to people than you first see” (or something like that 🤷🏽‍♀️, I don’t know I had a little alcohol in me).

But this instance really made me think about people and disabilities in general. We as a society are so uneducated about disabilities. I don’t blame him for not realizing that maybe I’m walking that way because I have a serious disablitity. We weren’t taught about things like this growing up, so why should he know? So that’s the problem and the reason I spend so much time trying to spread awareness about FSHD and disabilities in general. People need to know that having a wheelchair, walker or cane aren’t the only signs of having a disability. It can come in all forms. You could have a limp, or walk with an arched back (like me), or have some type of tick, I mean the list really goes on and on. In this post I’m talking about a noticeable physical difference but this person you are seeing could also have a chronic illness, who suffers from debilitating fatigue, I mean there are so many different disabilities and illnesses out there.

People are so quick to judge others it’s sad. I’ve had so many people ask me “why do you walk like that?” And “are you pregnant?” I’ve even seen multiple people making fun of the way I walk by trying to copy it. If they had assumed from the beginning “hmm maybe she has a disability and that’s why she walks like that” I really believe that they would know not to ask these questions and that they would never try to copy and make fun of my walk. It’s really hurtful to turn around and see someone physically making fun of you. I try not to let it ruin my day, but in reality it does. I constantly think about it hours after it happened. Watching my documentary or reading some of my posts, it might seem like I’m a strong person who doesn’t let what people say to me, get to my head. But I’m only human and I get upset too. I know people aren’t actually that cruel, so that’s why I just want to show people that these “invisible disabilities” exist.

I’ve said this time and time again but I just want people not to jump to conclusion as soon as they see someone that may look different than them. I wish everyone knew what I knew and could view the world in the way I did. But the only reason I am able to view it in this way, is because I have lived with this disability and I know what it’s like. It’s changed my perspective on life and on the way I see people. Even though it’s too much to ask that everyone understands everyone, I hope that if you’re reading this, you’ll think about it the next time you see someone walking differently than you. That person is probably going through a lot more than you think, mentally and physically. On the flip side, you might see someone walking differently, but maybe they don’t have a disability necessarily. But, what I do know is that they don’t want you judging them or making fun of them. Everyone is going through something, and the truth is you can’t know everybody’s story, but you CAN decide that you aren’t going to judge.