Ryan Golley, —

View this post on Instagram Day 23 of 30 Days of MD Topic: Being a Dad with Becker's MD This is @dystrophydad ’s story: I was diagnosed with Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy at birth. I remember the day my mum sat me down to tell me that I was different. She explained that as I got older my legs would get weaker and I’d be in a wheelchair just like my grandad. He was my hero, so I wasn’t upset. The one thing she didn’t tell me about, as no consultant had advised her, was how MD affects your mental health. Six months after my daughter was born, I had an anxiety attack at work. I was dealing with the stresses of work, being a dad and my body letting me down, I was losing the ability to do the things I took for granted and I was worried about the future. I doubted my abilities as a dad. After six weeks absence from work, and plenty of self reflection, I realised there are things I can do that many non-disabled dads can’t. I decided to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can’t. This brush with mental Ill-health inspired me to make a difference. I went on to form a Disability and Mental Health Network, Enabled at Tesco and over the last two years blog about parenthood, mental health and muscular dystrophy. I often hear from parents and patients that my experiences have given them hope and made a real difference. It’s humbling and gives me the drive to document my experiences. I’m now more connected than ever to the awesome MD community, having forming a crew of content creators with Becker’s and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy called Sons of Dystrophy. Together we hope to show that a life with MD can be a fulfilling one. #MDAwarenessMonth #MDAwareness #30daysofmd A post shared by MDNewsToday (@mdnewstoday) on Sep 23, 2020 at 7:37am PDT

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Ryan Golley, —

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