Miss Black Country 2022 winner Shannon McNally has cerebral palsy and is working to raise awareness of the condition and its daily effects.
The 22-year-old says the condition has shaped her life and has affected every stage of her life since birth.
“I was a premature baby. I was born about two and a half months premature,” he said. My mom said putting me in an incubator was one touch and done.
When I got to walking age, reaching other milestones like eating, he realized that my walking wasn’t going as well as it should and that my balance was a big problem.
The doctor had told my mother that I was fine, but my mother’s instinct told her that something was wrong with the way I walked.
“When I was about five years old, I finally got a check-up at a local hospital in Birmingham.”
A scan revealed that Shannon had a scar on her brain and she was later diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy called asymmetric diplegia.
I also have chronic fatigue and my right leg is shorter than my left so I have weakness and cramps.
“Conditions are also very changeable,” he says.
This can vary from day to day, as it depends on which side of the brain is dominant that day.
“The main thing is that my body and mind are out of sync, which makes it very difficult to organize and plan my day.
“That’s why routine behavior from strangers can be so comforting. Sometimes it can make you feel like you don’t want to go out.”
Shannon sometimes shakes when holding things like tea and people think she’s lying about her disability.
The effects were not only physical, but also mentally distressing.
“I could have been slower in school,” she recalled, and it took a toll on her self-esteem.
Shannon continues.
“Other kids made fun of me for limping or using a walker, so I hid my disability and made it unacceptable.
“I wasn’t honest with myself and worried about what other people would think. This really hurts me.”
“One day I thought: ‘I can’t do this’. I realized that I should be more proud of myself and accept my disability.
“That just changed my attitude and I never looked back.
“So I want to encourage other people with disabilities to do the same.”
A beauty therapy apprentice since school, she was a Miss Black Country winner and is starting her own charity to help people with disabilities.
Participating in a beauty pageant was important to her to break down stereotypes about disability and ability.
Shannon said:
“I wanted to show everyone what disabled people can do.
“I’m often told that I don’t look like a disabled person, but how does it feel?”
“We need to change our perception of what disability should look like.
“I went out to make a difference in the competition.”
Very few disabled contestants entered her pageant in the UK and Shannon became the first disabled Miss Black Country winner.
“The judges were impressed with my determination to improve disability awareness and positivity within and outside the community,” he says.
“They told me that they were inspired by my honesty and openness about my disability and decided that I was the perfect role model for Miss Black Country.
Shannon has received positive feedback from members of the community. This indicates that she wants a change in attitude, which she calls “waking up”.
There are currently 65 players in their UK final, and Shannon is in it too.
she said:
“I think I have accomplished what I set out to do. Just like the crown, everything else is a bonus.”
Looking to the future, Shannon wants to work for the charity she is developing.
she said: This has to change. Educating children about disability is an important step in improving attitudes and improving society.
“I’m going to start my own charity called Invisibility for Children and Youth.
“Children with disabilities are invited to participate in schools and present their experiences, especially about bullying.
“It’s also important to teach children the tools that some people have to use.” He wasn’t a “normal” baby and he felt he shouldn’t have been born that way.
“I think disability awareness has improved year by year and times have changed, but I think there is still a long way to go.
“The goal is to give children with disabilities the confidence to accept who they are when they grow up.
That’s what Shannon can finally do for herself.
Alison Carr, head of communications for disability equality charity Scope, said:
“It is great news to have disabled athletes representing their regions at the UK competition.
“It’s also not surprising that negative attitudes are the norm for Shannon.”
‗According to a Scope survey, three out of four people with disabilities reported often experiencing negative attitudes, and a quarter of people with disabilities were accused of faking it.
“Attitudes don’t improve overnight, but the more people with disabilities who cross the line and the more people who are represented, the better.”
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Source: Metro
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
