Seeing Beyond Disability: The Transformative Journeys of Jennifer and Keisha

Absolutely.

So Keisha, what would you say to someone who may allow their disability or chronic illness define the person who they think they are?

Um, I would say, see, it's such a tough, um, question for me because I know in the beginning I was in denial.

You could not tell me I had muscular dystrophy.

It's like, although, like, the doctor told me that, we, the testing is confirmed, I'm just like, "No, I think, you know, next time I go to the appointment she's gonna say, 'Oh, we got your test results mixed up.'" So I get it.

So it's like, like, sometimes I'm not like, "Oh yeah, girl, you gotta get through it and..." et cetera, because we all deal with it in a different way.

Like me, I was in denial.

Some people may get a diagnosis and start videotaping it and, you know, expressing themselves, and that's dope.

You know, I think that's awesome, but, you know, like, everybody's the same.

And so it took a while.

Like, when I wro- wrote my first blog about my diagnosis, it's like it took me as I was writing and saying it out loud like, "Oh, wow, I got muscular dystrophy.

That's crazy." So it was just interesting that it took me to write that blog that I first kinda shared everything, like, with friends on Facebook, and they was like, "Oh, wow, I, I never knew." But you know, it can be a lot, but I would say just all you can do is take each day at a time.

I would say connect with others in the disability community.

What I say even to this day is what inspired me is, you know Jillian Mercado, the fashion model? And she has muscular dystrophy like me, so one day I, like, just saw her on, like, the website.

I was like, "Oh my God, she has muscular dystrophy like me." Like, it just made me feel, like, awesome.

I look at this, she's a fashion model.

She's...

You know, she got her clothing all together.

Like, she just looked fashionable and beautiful.

And so that was another person I, like, always remember from the beginning early stages.

Like, she really inspired me, 'cause I'm like, "She's dope."

Can I add to what Keisha just said?

Sure, and then I got a question for you.

Sure.

'Cause I think, like, I talked about not, like, hiding my disability, and then when it couldn't be hidden anymore, I was a person who didn't really have a community of other people with disabilities.