What you don't know is that after this photo was taken I faced extreme
difficulty getting up from what was a very comfortable outdoor chair. See it
was a hot day and I was pretty tired so I wanted to relax choosing the wrong
chair not realizing how difficult it would be for me to get up and back on my
feet.
Unfortunately my first attempt was a complete failure as I couldn't even use my
legs to lift my butt off the seat, so I tried and tried again yet again no
success. It actually took 10 minutes to come up with a solution which happened
to be grabbing a kitchen chair which sat just a little higher, thankfully I was
able to transfer onto this chair. It really helped as I then used the back of a
pickup's tailgate which was down and directly beside me, I used it as support -
and I was finally able to work myself back up and onto my feet.
See way too many people unknowingly look at a photo like this thinking
there's a strong man (well at least I hope) not knowing the true difficulties I
face and the efforts it takes for me to just get out of a chair. Now after
reading this story I am sure you can understand the worry and fear I face of
falling in public. Just imagine how much harder it is for me to get up off of
the ground.
Now this doesn't mean I need to call it quits and just stay inside as
thankfully such things as my mobility scooter can reduce these types of risks.
Sure plenty of us living with Muscular Dystrophy and other conditions depending
on our current point of progression can look just like anyone else. Hey I have
had many people judge me simply due to some being completely ignorant to the
reality I face. Simply judging me by how I look.
So why am I sharing this? To let everyone know not all disabilities are visible
and to stop judging people with whatever condition it might be & to take
the time to read our blog posts to better understand our community.