30 Days of MD: Anil Jalhan

by Kevin Schaefer | September 5, 2020

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Day 5 of 30 Days of MD Topic: Life with Duchenne and Going to University This is @a_jalhan’s story: I was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 7. As a child, I never knew what to expect, even doctors were unsure about my future. The only real support I really had was my family. I would say my earlier years from 7-13 were slightly easier as I could still walk slowly. By 13, I noticed that I had gotten much weaker than before, although steroids did help slow this down. During this time, I required a wheelchair at all times. Due to things getting difficult, it was suggested by my school to join a special needs school, and so I did. What was great was that the school had a joint mainstream high school, so I was able to enjoy high school life. Here I learnt a lot about my disability and met great friends with similar disabilities. Throughout my education life, I also met a lot of teachers and people who said I would never graduate or even attend university. Some wonderful, inspiring teachers too believed in me. Touching back on high school, the school really helped get wheelchair confident. However, education wise, I didn’t really leave with many qualifications, as we only integrated in a few classes with the high school. I knew I may not be able to go to university. I felt weak and depressed. Despite this, I still wanted to continue learning, so I joined a college to gain some qualifications. After one year I found out that I could actually go to University after completing a two year program. With hardwork and determination I was able to finally finish the program and go to university. Here, I got to study something I was passionate about, business management. Graduating and getting a bachelor’s degree was one of my proudest moments. From this I learnt a very valuable lesson, that no one can stop you from achieving your dreams. Yes I may have a disability, but it won’t stop me from reaching my destination. At the moment we may be going through a pandemic, but I’m positive that I will start a new chapter in employment and make a positive impact in society. Always stay positive and never give up. #MDAwarenessMonth #MDAwareness #30DaysofMD

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