Madeline- Crooked Loves

Hi lovely people, my name is Madeline and I’m 23 years old. I was born with a disability called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), with the type Escobar syndrome. It causes webbing in my hands, feet, and arms. It also causes contractures in my tendons, making me unable to straighten most body parts completely. My AMC also caused severe scoliosis. I’ve had around 8 surgeries so far, including a major spinal fusion. I grew up with a lot of confidence, spunk, and sass...that is until I entered elementary school. In kindergarten, I was all of a sudden aware that I was different, that people noticed I was different, and apparently being different was bad. It took a few years, but my confidence, spunk, and sass started burning out. I started hiding myself. I wore long sleeves so no one would stare at my crooked hands or arms. I opted out of games and sports. I did anything I could to hide my disability from the world, and from myself. So much so, that I didn’t even identify as disabled. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago that I reached a turning point. I realized that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life hiding and hating myself. I started working hard to unlearn the body hatred that was ingrained in me, and eventually have finally gotten to a place where I’ve gotten my confidence, spunk, and sass back. I love being disabled and I love my body and I wouldn’t change it about myself for the world.