Alex Dacy the ‘Wheelchair Rapunzel’ Shares Body Positive Messages About Disability

The 25-year-old blogger defied odds to beat her genetic disease and is now using her experience to inspire millions of people with disability.

Chicago’s Alex Dacy was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at her birth. The condition caused muscle wasting and mobility problems, and the doctors estimated that she would not live for more than two years.

Now, 25 years later, she is not only proving the medical experts wrong, but she is also using her condition to motivate other people who are concerned about their body image.

Dacy, also known as “Wheelchair Rapunzel,” stated in a video, titled “Born Different,” that “people with disabilities can feel sexy in their bodies…” and that they must be represented in the positive body image movements that have increased in the recent times.

To ensure that people with disabilities feel sexy in their bodies and to promote a culture of positive body image, Dacy started flaunting her body in fashionable outfits through her Instagram account.

“There is a body positivity movement happening today and it’s so important for people with disabilities to be represented in this,” Dacy said in the video.

Dacy explained that the lack of representation of people with disabilities in such movements inspired her to start her own movement on social media.

On her Instagram account, Dacy has received thousands of comments and likes, which is an encouragement not just to her but also to countless other people with disabilities, who may be struggling with body image issues.

Among her snapshots, some feature her wearing bold and revealing dresses while in a few others she is almost nude with body positive messages written on her body.

Dacy also opened up some of the misconceptions surrounding people with disabilities in the video.

The notion that people like her “don’t feel sexy” or “have romantic relationships” were some of the most common misconceptions, as explained by Dacy.

According to the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, Australia, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, is a genetic disease that affects the part of the nervous system responsible for voluntary muscle movement.

As it damages nerve cells called motor neurons, it is classified as a motor neuron disease. The condition may occur in many different forms but it is mainly caused by a deficiency of a protein called SMN (Survival of Motor Neurons).

People like Dacy may be rare, but she is definitely not alone in becoming an inspiration for millions of people around the world despite having a disability.

Previously, Daniel Romanchuk also achieved the inspirational feat of becoming the first US man to win the NYC Marathon at the young age of 20.