Disabled individuals aren’t always wheelchair-bound.
Perhaps that’s the greatest takeaway we can get from this story we found on Wimp.
Justine Van Den Borne recently took advantage of a handicapped parking spot in a shopping center since she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. She was simply having a nice day with her daughter but when they returned to their vehicle, they were surprised to find a rude note on the windshield.
Photo credit: Justine Van Den Borne/Facebook
The short letter asked “Did you forget your wheelchair?” which, of course, was intended as an insult that the stranger actually suspected Justine was just faking her disability.
Instead of staying silent though, Justine decided to speak her mind out by writing an open letter and posting it on Facebook.
Her epic response read:
“To the person that left this on my car last week at Mitcham Shopping Centre-I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 35. Not just MS, but the worst one that never goes away and is slowly crippling my life. My kids have had to deal with things that kids shouldn’t ever have to deal with, and all of our futures are forever changed. On the day you saw me, I was having a good day; I was walking with my daughter unaided having a nice day. Thank you for ruining that. You made me feel like people were looking at me, the exact way I feel when I can’t walk properly. I am sick of people like yourself abusing me on my good days for using a facility I am entitled to. A disability doesn’t always mean a person has to be wheelchair bound, but lucky for you I one day will be. Right now my focus is to walk into my best friend’s wedding next September and not have to be pushed. I will be 42. Before you ruin another person’s day remember you don’t know everything, and just because you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean a person isn’t struggling to put one foot in front of the other.”
May this serve as a lesson to individuals who tend to be judgmental.