12 Comments

What a wonderful story! Although it was a physical disability, I had a cousin who contracted polio when he was 4, during the great epidemic. He lived his life as a quadriplegic but accomplished amazing things. He earned his first money as a promoter for electric wheelchairs and that money allowed him to purchase an old building in Vancouver. With government help, he established a home for the newly paralyzed that offered physical and psychological support as well as help with navigating the assistance available to them. This was also successful so he bought a boat and set up tours of the Vancouver harbour for the disabled. And, to top it off, he married a woman from Nicaragua and they set up a school and then a library in a struggling community. Yes, he always needed help... he couldn't even breathe on his own. But he never stopped. His disability showed him where he could help and he just did it. One of my heroes 💕

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He really was a hero! He did so much good in the world. Though what they each did was different, it makes me think of Stephen Hawking.

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Belief in yourself, a support team that believes in you, and someone willing to give you hope and a chance.

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A confluence of supports can certainly help bring about success.

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Thank you Dascha. My sister is with you in your invisible disability, "you don't look sick" 😔

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Love this! ❤️

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Thanks, Jason!

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Such a story of Hope and good effort. We often view downs individuals with bias and fear. Thanks for this shining story!

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Thank you, Connie. As an invisible member of the disabled community, I don't face the biases that others often do. (Though invisible disabilities create their own challenges.) I feel a responsibility to every now and again sneak one of "our" stories in.

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I love stories like this! They give people hope who dare to dream! Great job!

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Thank you, Kim. I think it's important for people belonging to marginalized groups to see themselves represented. If you've never seen Lily's work, you can see her in "Never Have I Ever," a Netflix series. She comes in a little later in the first season as a badass younger sister.

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