IAmA 15 year old freshman in a wheelchair.

One time at school i was walking behind a girl in a wheelchair up a long mellow ramp and I could tell she was sort of getting tired. I wondered to myself should I offer her a hand by pushing her along. I didnt act upon that but I always wondered if she would have appreciated my help or not. How would you react if It were you amd I offered to push?

If I am noticeably having problems like she was then I would be thankful. But make sure they actually need the help. A pet peeve of mine is if I'm doing something just fine on my own but someone still tries to help just because I'm in the chair

Congrats for beating the odds. Any idea what you want to do as a career? I imagine baseball is out. I wanted to play pro which would have been cool, but I really suck at baseball, so I went into computer science.

That is something I think about quite often. Finding a job I could do is very difficult. I would definitely need a job that is 100% on the computer. Or if my youtube and twitch channel work out that would be a great career. However with the oversaturated genre of gaming videos on YouTube and how bigger channels get boosted to front page on twitch, it makes it very difficult to grow a following.

I don't have any questions but your answers and positive outlook make me think of Shane Burcaw. He inspires me every day with his approach to life. I wish you the very best and hope you find a way to reach these goals.

Thanks man :)

What are your channels?

Same username for both. FPSRedHead. Although a warning I think most of my videos are very cringey lol. Still trying to find my style I guess.

You ever deck out your wheelchair for holidays?

Lol not for the holidays. But when I was younger we did put stripes and stick on skulls all over it.

My friend has spinal muscular atrophy type III (I assume its similar to your condition, with the name being the same) and constantly talks about his abusive mother and his fading will to live. Any advice you'd recommend I pass on to him?

Suicide is never the answer first off. Also there are always people out there to help you when things start to get rough. And he needs to tell someone how his mother treats him (and if he doesn't you should) his mom could seriously injure him if she is physically abusive especially because of his weak bones. And hey, if necessary, AND ONLY IF NECESSARY FOR SELF DEFENCE, your chair will do some serious damage.

Like, how do you live from day to day with such a huge burden? Having to face each day head on and know its going to be so hard. I could never live as a ginger.

Hahaha that was great!

You said you record for Twitch and Youtube, what are some of your all time favourite video games? (Hit me up if you want any free Twitch overlay or design work doing, I'm a designer and I'd be happy to help out!)

I would say my top 3 would be, The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. And thanks for the offer! I'm currently switching ISP's so it may be a while before I can stream, but I'll message you if I need anything!

Thanks for doing the AMA.

Would love to see a more recent picture to see how you are progressing. I had a friend in HS that has the same affliction tho I do know know what the "types" designate. He had many different surgeries and had a rough time. At one point he had to literally hang from a Halo drilled into his Skull for hours a day. I know he had low points but he pulled though. He's now grown and doing pretty good for himself with job and life. Don't give up man keep strong, build friendships with people that can aid you on your journey. Drop those that will hinder you, invest in yourself. Wish you the best of luck.

• What differentiates the types of SMA?

• Do you have hired help to aid you in day to day hygiene and personal activities? or do you relay on family?

• Feel like sharing some of your highest moments or lowest moments you have experienced? Either with the condition itself, or peoples reactions to.

1: I honestly don't know the difference between the types. sorry.

2: I am gonna post a photo of my self now, when I get home from school. It was midnight when I made this post so that was the only pic I had.

3: I have an aid at school but just have family at home.

4: my highest moment is definitely when I got my first girlfriend. And my lowest was in 8th grade when I was VERY shy and had literally no friends. It sucked.

Damn. Any tips in the lady department then bro? Asking for a friend

Just gotta slide in the dm's and be smooth af dude

Have you had to deal with any depression or other social issues due to your condition and if so how did/do you deal with it? Thanks man .

I have had some rough times with making friends in the past. It's best sometimes just to talk about your feelings to someone whether it be a parent, counselor, or therapist. My parents are very supportive and are there when I need them. And for the social issues, you just got to go out and meet people. Some people will be jerks, and some will become your best friends. The Internet is a great place to make friends as well. Whether they're in another state or not a friend is a friend. My best friend is someone I've known for two years and we have never met irl. We still talk and play video games everyday and he's the best friend I've had. :)

All babies are now tested in the womb for SMA so a plan can be put into place prior to their arrival. Did your parents have any inkling prior to your birth that you had SMA?

You're very brave for doing this and I thank you for opening up your world to us. Many hugs and stay brave!

No I was not diagnosed until after I was born.

Would you rather fight 1 horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?

1 billion horse size ducks

Do you have anything on your bucket list?

To visit another continent. any continent

How has your handicap affected you? And, BTW, I'm referring to the red hair.

Got em

How's highschool been going for you so far? Also, what are some of your favorite video games?

High school has been great so far! And I really like shooters like CSGO and battlefield. But with Rockstar teasing Red Dead Redemption 2 I'm going to be playing a lot of that. :)

My little brother has Muscular Dystrophy(idk which type) he is 13 and the doctors said he would not be able to walk by age 6, and yet here he is still walking (just not very far, about 30 feet is how far he can get without getting exhausted.)

My high school is an interesting place and I guess my question for you is how was your time in high school? Did you get bullied? Did you make friends? Did people ever try to "mess" with you by screwing with your wheelchair?

Wow your brother is doing great!

1: never really been bullied 2: I have many friends now 3: ya people sometimes try to mess with the controls but if I tell them to stop they do.

Would you go to mars if you had the chance say, 10-15 years from now? I think about this alot. And i still am not sure.

Maybe to visit but definitely not to live there. It's hot on Mars dude

Have any teachers you ever had treated you differently because of your condition? If so, what did they do/how did they act?

Oh definitely. Most times its good things like letting me type a paper instead of writing it (my hands get tired really fast from writing). But sometimes I get ones that I guess think I also have a learning disability and give me less mentally challenging work.

Are you still answering questions?

What medications, if there is any, so you take?

I am answering questions but I'm in school right now so it's hard to keep up. I don't take any special medication

Hey, good morning! You have such a great smile! Totally super cute.

You mentioned that you're pretty adept with computers. Tell me, do you have any hobbies like making art or composing music or creative writing?

Mainly just playing video games. But I've been getting into photo/video/audio editing recently. :)

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Pretty good. You?

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Chrome on a phone/computer

HEY ME TOO!

I mean, -chrome, +firefox

OH SNAP! It took me a while to get it. Got em

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I do have 1 brother but he does not have S.M.A.

Yes SMA is a mutation of your genes

And I want to go to the best college I can for something on the computer. That is, if twitch and youtube doesn't work out.

Thanks for doing this. It's very brave. I'm a teacher and always looking for ways to help all of my students feel comfortable and secure in my classroom. Any suggestions for how a teacher should act if they overhear someone with disabilities getting bullied? Some students have said they like for teachers to step in and others are more comfortable handling it on their own. What are your thoughts?

Although I've never been bullied myself. I would say to tell the parents of the bullies how they're acting. And if it continues to tell the principal. Very sorry I can't tell you much more im not very experienced when it comes to being bullied

How do you feel about the current political situation / election season in the USA?

R.i.p. the states.

I'm a bit late to the game, but if you get to my questions...

What would be more offensive to you, someone inviting you along on an outing/activity that would almost impossible for you to join, (ie; going downtown in a major city and going shopping in and out of lots of stores with steep steps and no ramps), or the close friend/family not inviting you at all?

Have you thought about dating/marriage? Would you rather date/marry someone else in a wheelchair, or someone who's not in a wheelchair?

What's the biggest obstacle you thought you'd never overcome that you did overcome, whether it's related to being in a wheelchair or not?

My 16 year old sister is in a wheelchair due to spina bifida, she's been struggling lately with it and seems almost depressed, have you battled any depression over being in a wheelchair, or are you pretty at peace with it?

1: I would rather not be invited to something I can't even do 2: Ya I guess but I don't think about it often, I would rather date someone not in a chair because 2 handicapped people living together would be a very difficult life. 3: getting a girlfriend 4: I was really sad about it from 5-8th grade. But I've come to peace with it now.

How is S.M.A usually fatal? Are you more prone to illness like colds and flus?

It can cause fatal breathing problems

Is there any chance of repairing your spine?

And now that you have a new perspective on life, having beaten the odds, what do you look forward to most?

I will be getting a surgery in the future at some point. Either a spinal fusion, or they will put metal rods on each side of my spine.

I am really just looking forward to graduating school and getting a job that pays the bills and I enjoy. Other than that I'm not quite sure.