Coming Out About My Invisible Disability
I’m coming out as disabled. It’s about time. I’m a 25-year-old with 80-year-old bones. Inside my mother’s womb, I developed mostly normally. But my legs didn’t show much growth in the sonograms; there was a mutation lurking on the long arm of the COL2A1 gene of chromosome 12, involved in making Type II collagen . One letter switched in the gene, an amino acid wrongly substituted , cartilage forming too tender within me. My rare bone disorder , spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, causes collagen in the joints to form incorrectly, short stature, arthritis, neck instability, scoliosis, joint inflammation, chronic pain, and other issues. It’s actually a form of dwarfism; I just happen to be on the taller end of the spectrum at 4’6”. Facing all of this, knowing at a young age that my bones would deteriorate much quicker than my friends, wasn’t scary. I’d need joint replacements and surgeries. I knew my path. I learned to love my body for what it is and all I can do, even with pain. For many ...
