30 Days of MD: Giving Up Is Not an Option

Photo courtesy of Anjélica Ramírez

Day 23 of 30

This is Anjélica Ramírez’s story:

My name is Angélica Ramírez. I just turned 23 years old. I am a writer and a student in my penultimate year of medicine. Throughout my life, I have suffered great adversities associated with my condition.

Right now, I am losing the ability to walk and cannot find a chair that allows me at least a little autonomy (I can only get standardized chairs that fatigue my shoulder girdle or cause me back pain). I often feel overwhelmed, helpless, incomprehensible, or lonely. Still, there was something that never wavered or made me doubt: the hope that I cling to every day of my life.

Accessibility is essential. I regret not being able to have the right wheelchair, either because of the high costs that no medical institution covers, or because of the limited range of options that I painfully observe behind the stained glass window.

Since I was a child, muscular dystrophy has had a serious impact on my life, generating great bone deformation in both legs, much more pronounced in my knees. This process caused my knees to dislocate multiple times. I have always fought against this process, but some consequences have been nearly fatal. On one occasion, I suffered a head injury.

My dystrophy is mainly at the level of the legs but lately, it has also started to affect the most proximal part of my arms a bit. I suffer from spasms, great pains, and muscle contractures every day of my life. “There are good days and there are bad days” as my orthopedic surgeon told me, currently a very special friend who helps me to keep going.

I thank all those who have helped me in one way or another. In my career, I will continue to fight and dedicate my life to researching everything related to MD pathology. I do not contemplate the option of giving up, and live by the mantra: “While there’s life, there’s hope.”

Muscular Dystrophy News’ 30 Days of MD campaign will publish one story per day for MD Awareness Month in September. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #30DaysofMD, or read the full series.