I was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 7, a never ending muscle wasting condition. As a young child I never knew what to expect, even doctors we’re unsure about my future. The only real support I really had was my family.
I would say my earlier years from 7-13 we’re slightly easier as I could still walk slowly. By 13 I noticed that I had gotten much weaker than before, although steroids did help slow this down. During this time I required a wheelchair at all times.
Due to things getting difficult it was suggested by my school to join a special needs school, and so I did. What was great was that the school had a joint mainstream high school so I was able to enjoy high school life. Here I learnt a lot about my disability and met great friends with similar disabilities. Throughout my education life I also met a lot of teachers and people who said I would never graduate or even attend university. Some wonderful inspiring teachers too who believed in me.
Touching back on high school, the school really helped get wheelchair confident. However, education wise I didn’t really leave with many qualifications as we only integrated in few classes with the high school. From this point I knew I may not be able to university, I felt weak and depressed. Despite this I still wanted to contine learning so I joined a college to gain some qualification.
After one year I found out that I could actually go to University after completing a two year programme. With hardwork and determination I was able to finally finish the programme and go to university. Here I got to study something I was passionate about, this being business management.
Graduating and getting a bachelor’s degree was one of my proudest moments. From this I learnt a very valuable lesson, that no one can stop you from achieving your dreams. Yes I may have a disability but it won’t stop me from reaching my destination.
At the moment we may be going through a pandemic but I’m positive that I will start a new chapter in employment and make a positive impact on society. Always stay positive and never give up.
Useful Links
Duchenne UK
https://www.duchenneuk.org/what-is-duchenne/