CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dianne Seymore surveyed her backyard turned construction site as a World Changers crew made up of high school students and adults tackled a stack of lumber that would soon become a handicap ramp.
The 42-year-old resident said the work was “a huge blessing … I never thought I would receive any help.” Once working full-time as a customer service representative at QVC and going to school for computer security, she now has adopted a different lifestyle.
Seymore was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis four years ago and the disease has made it difficult to tackle the large step in and out of her house. The autoimmune disease affects the communication between the brain and the rest of the body, sometimes making it difficult for Seymore to get around even with her cane or walker.
A World Changers crew had the opportunity recently to not only construct a new ramp, but also construct a new sense of dignity for Seymore — a dignity she talks about herself.
“I had preconceived notions about those with disabilities,” Seymore said. “I didn’t want to be considered someone who is ‘defective.’ ”
Once coping with the idea of having MS, Seymore said she has come to learn that she just lives a different lifestyle, not one that’s any better or any worse than before.
Seymore looks past the negatives in order to see the good of being diagnosed with MS. Since the diagnosis, she has spent time thinking about life more seriously. This thinking has lead to a membership at a local body of believers that has a “come as you are” mentality. It’s here that Seymore has found strength and support to make it through these difficult times.
With a little slower lifestyle, Seymore has also found herself spending more time writing. “I write anything,” she said.
Her notepads are filled with children’s literature to more serious articles about MS. She even wrote about the World Changers participants working at her house. Her favorites seem to be children’s stories, though.
She found something special in children when she was first diagnosed with the disorder. Seymore recalls a particular story.
“My niece once asked me, ‘Why do you walk funny?’ ” Her response to a similar question from a child in the grocery store, “Well, sometimes my legs act a little crazy, so I use a cane.”
Seymore uses her writing to encourage and inspire. “I will be a voice for disabled people,” she insisted. And that’s exactly what she is doing.
“The stronger character helping the weaker” is an overriding theme that comes out when she writes children’s literature.
That’s a story that World Changers participants write everyday.