Have you ever seen someone in a wheelchair and wondered why they were in it? In some cases, the person looks perfectly healthy, but you can never truly judge a book by its cover. That was the experience of Heidi Tonning Radar of Haleyville, Ala. although she looked healthy on the outside, it was what was taking place underneath the surface that made her quite sick.
Admittedly, Haley didn’t look like she should be in a wheelchair in the first place. At the same time, however, she also didn’t look like a woman that had had brain surgery just two weeks before. Unfortunately, the number of individuals in the store where she was visiting didn’t bother to look below the surface and as a result, she posted a public reply on Facebook. That reply has since gone viral.
‘To the lady who rolled her eyes at me … to the woman who made me back up in my wheelchair a good 25 feet to ‘let her by’ … to the cashier who became frustrated when she saw me ‘roll up’ … to all the glares and whispers: Invisible Illnesses SUCK!’
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10204489222014315&set=a.2086472205144.2128215.1345347678
Throughout the post, she continued to explain her predicament. Although she may not have had a cast on her leg or any type of noticeable physical ailments, she still had an illness under the surface that most people could not see.
“Of course you don’t know I’m 2.5 weeks recovered from a life threatening brain surgery, or that I’m not allowed to stand for more than a few minutes at a time, or that I have severe osteoarthritis and 2 types of Lupus, currently in a flare,”
“Yes I’m smiling and laughing. I’m thrilled to be ALIVE! But you don’t see the struggle I face daily to sit up in my bed, how painful it is to take my first several steps in the morning. You don’t realize I have a migraine that NEVER ceases…ever…24/7, and that there is no cure for my rare type of migraine. All you see is a young woman in a wheelchair, with 5 children in tow (we actually wanted 7), and immediately place judgement.”
She also shared an image of herself in the wheelchair and since her post has gone viral, it has accumulated more than 168,000 shares. Obviously, it has struck a nerve with many individuals, and when you think about the 100 million people living in the United States with a hidden illness, it really makes sense.
She went on to say…
‘The point to my post is don’t judge according to appearance. You don’t know what a stranger’s circumstances are,’ she concluded. ‘You don’t know how difficult it was for them to swallow their pride and sit in that wheelchair. You don’t know how difficult it was for them to get out of bed.’
This is truly an incredible woman and after logging on to Facebook last week, she has over 1000 friend requests waiting.
Heidi says that she is overcome with emotion, including a very strong feeling of sorrow. After all, she now recognizes how many other people are in a similar situation. Always looking for the positive side, she wonders what would happen if everybody set out to do at least one good deed every day.
We are with you Heidi and we look forward to the possibility that more good deeds will come your way.