079: Girls Chronically Rock’s Keisha Greaves on Life w/ Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy
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Keisha Greaves is the founder of fashion label Girls Chronically Rock, and is a motivational speaker and former Massachusetts State Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Diagnosed as a graduate student with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, she is now largely wheelchair-bound. As a patient advocate, she worked with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to have September 30th officially proclaimed as Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Day in the city of Cambridge, MA. Her passion is in adaptive fashion, and she works with Framingham State University students to teach the importance of access and practicality in their designs. She has been featured on numerous media outlets, including Good Morning America, the Today Show, ABC News, Thrive Global, and Politico. She is an active participant in many local fundraising events for the MDA and other organizations, frequently encouraging audiences to “Fill the Boot” to support research and awareness. She’s also a total inspiration, encouraging those of us living with chronic illnesses to embrace the change and move forward into our new lives with grace and enthusiasm. Tune in to get dosed with an infectious amount of joy!

Tune in as Keisha shares:

• that she was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy after an MRI and muscle biopsy
• that when she was first diagnosed, she knew nothing about her condition
• that she was very much in denial of her condition early on
• that muscular dystrophy is a progressive condition, and that her limb-girdle type also affects her heart
• what muscular dystrophy is
• that because her condition is progressive, she’s slowly deteriorated physically — beginning at first with a cane, then a walker, and now full-time in a wheelchair
• how much more independent she is in her wheelchair, which she adopted in 2019
• how she’s decorated her wheelchair to customize her appearance
• how she’s connected with other Spoonies through social media
• the grieving process of being diagnosed with a progressive and chronic disease
• how she unwinds
• why she's still working toward accessibility equity as someone who is wheelchair-bound
• discrepancies in insurance coverage, from prescriptions to mobility and transportation as a disabled person
• what’s next in her business: a Girls Chronically Rock adaptive clothing collection
• her top tips for staying happy and fulfilled when living with a disability

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