When she was 24, Keisha Greaves was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, which resulted in the muscles in her arms and legs becoming extremely weak.
Now 32, Keisha from Massachusetts, has learned to live differently and it took Keisha some years to accept the diagnosis in her 20s.
She gets around in a specialised wheelchair but she doesn’t know how her body will feel each morning when she wakes up.
Despite the hardship, Keisha has turned her love of fashion into a successful career, launching her very own clothing brand Girls Chronically Rock.
With the sole purpose of inspiring others to live positively and embrace their difference, Keisha couldn’t be more pleased with how the new business venture is going.
‘I always loved to wear graphic t-shirts with different colours and designs,’ explained Keisha.
‘So I thought why not come up with a t-shirt line to share my story and help bring disability awareness?
‘That’s why I feel like why Girls Chronically Rock started.’
Doing things for herself is a challenge for Keisha
‘You don’t realise how strong you are until you’re dealing with something,’ she said.
‘Every day I wake up, I don’t know how my body will feel. I can’t raise my right arm to say, give you a handshake or a proper hug.
‘Things like getting dressed on a regular basis is a constant challenge for me.’
That hasn’t stopped Keisha from pursuing her goals.
Once she achieved her degree in Fashion Design and Business, she soon came up with the idea for Girls Chronically Rock.
‘A lot of people would say to me on social media that they’d never heard of muscular dystrophy,’ she said.
‘So I decided to reach out to a web developer and he helped me create my website.
‘I then sorted my designs and logos and everything came together.
‘The orders are going well. I recently added a child collection which is cool,’ she continued.
‘I like to tell people about my brand and bring awareness to what is going on. I have connected with a lot of people through that.’
Keisha is now looking to expand her business and take it to New York.
She said: ‘I just want to create awareness of disability to a big community.
‘I want people to be aware of what Girls Chronically Rock is.
‘I get lots of messages on Instagram with people saying things like “oh wow, I love your story”.
‘It makes me feel good. I’m hoping we can end up in Macey’s and local boutiques on 34 street in Manhattan – all over the place!’
You can find out more and purchase items from the Girls Chronically Rock website.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/05/paralysed-woman-starts-own-fashion-line-for-disabled-people-12004201/
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