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“You’d be surprised what you take for granted. Those things you don’t even think of but are naturally a part of life. Like now, in COVID times, when we aren’t allowed to hug, or even see, our friends.”
These are the words of Keisha Greaves and when you read the story we’re about to tell, they’ll take on even more meaning. We all take things for granted – our health, our relationships, our resources, our mobility – and it isn’t until we’re faced with adversity that we realize what we had all along.
Nearly 10 years ago, Keisha had just graduated from college and moved back to her hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts to pursue her MBA. While in grad school, she put her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising to work and was an independent merchandiser for a company, traveling from store to store to ensure that brands were represented accurately.
One minute she’s walking, the next she can’t move. Her typical mobility taken for granted.
A few weeks later, she struggled to reach a box in the pantry, feeling like her hand was fighting against a ton of weights pushing it back down. One minute she’s reaching for something, the next she can’t move.
Something wasn’t right, and Keisha realized it was time to see a doctor.
At 24 years old, the fashionista with a big personality and vibrant style was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Life as she knew it had completely changed, and a new journey was about to begin.
Her search told her that this particular type of Muscular Dystrophy (MD) impacts the body from the shoulders to the legs. It told her that most people with MD are males, and most are diagnosed as babies or during adolescence. It told her that the disease is progressive and that there is no cure.
What it didn’t tell her was how to rationalize that information against a way of life she wasn’t ready to leave behind.
For a few years after she received the phone call with her diagnosis, Keisha refused to believe that she really had Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy.
“I thought I could diet and exercise it away,” she told us. “Though I walked with a cane many days, whenever I had an important meeting or interview, I’d tell the manager I’d recently sprained my ankle or had gotten into a car accident. I never wanted to verbally acknowledge what was happening,” Keisha explained.
“It was like a weight was lifted from my mind,” she said.
In typical Keisha fashion (pun intended), she donned a pair of bright eyeglass frames, grabbed the nearest tulle skirt, and got herself ready to face her new normal. She reached out to others in the disability community and created her own network of people who understood exactly what she was going through.
In the 10 years since she first fell on that grocery store floor, Keisha has worked through the trauma of a scary diagnosis, the understandable denial shortly thereafter, and the acceptance of the future ahead of her.
When we heard Keisha’s story, we knew we wanted to help. Keisha no longer has a vehicle of her own, and even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to safely operate it. And remember, this is a girl with big plans. She attends weekly physical therapy appointments, countless doctor visits, and needs to be out and about in the community to help grow her brand.
With the help of monthly donors like you (become one HERE), we partnered with our friends at AMS Vans to purchase a 2020 Chrysler Pacifica for Keisha with a total impact of $45,561.06.
Now, this girl with the big plans (she hopes to attend New York Fashion Week with her new van one day) can get back to using her bubbly, vibrant personality to continue inspiring and encouraging others in the community. We can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.
Join us in making more dreams come true this year with a monthly donation. DONATE HERE.
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