This blog includes a trigger warning as it discusses sexual assault and rape. I want to address a topic rarely talked about: over 80 percent of women with disabilities have experienced sexual assault, with 50 percent of them enduring more than ten assaults. I am one of them. Because of societal norms that devalue and dehumanize people with disabilities, we are significantly at greater risk of SA. I feel like this isn’t spoken about on a large scale mainly because people with

I’ve never had a positive school experience, and sadly this is actually very common for Disabled children and teens - in fact, Disabled children are two to three times more likely to be bullied or experience discrimination than their able-bodied peers. So you could imagine the bullying was pretty consistent throughout my schooling years - not only from other kids but from teachers too. It probably didn’t help that I lived in an isolated small town with a population of only 37

Grief has followed me throughout my life. I actually remember the exact moment when I first felt that feeling of loss, something I didn’t understand to begin with. The deep ache that sat in the pit of my stomach, the same feeling as if I were to be punched continuously until the pain was radiating to every part of me. The constant confusion about why my body wasn’t operating like it did the week prior. It had me in a serious chokehold of emotions at such a young age. I was 10

For those who don’t know me - I was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at 18 months old and have been in a wheelchair since the age of 11. To explain it in a nutshell, basically, humans have an SMN1 gene that produces protein for your motor neurons, this helps with movement - like walking, moving arms, etc. We also have a backup gene called SMN2 which produces the tiniest bit of protein - people with SMA don’t have the SMN1 gene, it’s either deleted completely or severely

The concept of equality is treating everyone with the same status, rights and opportunities. But how does equality actually affect those who are marginalized? Will we be able to succeed as much as our peers because we have the same tools and resources as they do? Or does it go beyond that? These questions led me to the answer that equality isn’t enough for us. Equality to me can be explained in a simple visual, you give two people a ladder to reach the tree of apples. Person

I feel as if I should talk more about the treatment I am on. Especially since it hugely contributed to me living a better quality of life. As stated in previous blogs, I moved to California from my home Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 2019 to start Spinraza. I also won’t be able to return home anytime soon either because Pharmac continues to deny this lifesaving treatment, even still with their pay increase of 71 million for 2022/2023 and then an additional $120 million for 2023/20

During the pandemic, something significant happened: I embraced my Queer identity. Two years of isolation gave me time to reflect on my thoughts and beliefs. For the longest time, I convinced myself that I had to be straight in order to maintain some type of control over my life and achieve a "normal" future—marrying a man and having children. You see, I felt powerless in relation to my disability, but at least I could feel a sense of normalcy when it came to my sexuality. Ca

Since it’s SMA Awareness Month, I thought I would talk about my disability for those who are new to my blogs, as well as learning the different meanings of acceptance and stages of grief. Image Description: SMA Spinal Muscular Atrophy awareness month Banner For those who don’t know me, I was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at 18 months old and have been in a wheelchair since the age of 11. To explain it in a nutshell, basically, humans have an SMN1 gene that prod

Growing up mixed race, as well as being disabled on top of that, was extremely challenging. Especially growing up in Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa ('Great standing place of Kiwa") or Gisborne (English city name) which is a small isolated town in the North Island of Aotearoa (New Zealand). At that time, I was the only one I knew of my age who used a walking frame and then eventually a wheelchair, so I didn’t have much representation and felt even more isolated than the town itself. But I