Misty: I didn’t meet anybody who had Spina bifida
until I was in my 20s.
Alicia: There you go. Come on go.
Misty: Fitness allows me to feel like everyone else.
Now i'm able to help others.
Spina bifida is a condition that affects the spine.
I was born with myelomeningocele.
And that is the most severe type of Spina bifida.
My spine was actually completely exposed at L5,
so which is about right here.
And some of my organs were on the outside of my body.
I didn’t meet anybody who had Spina bifida
until I was in my 20s.
So I’m walking around thinking I’m the only one.
So you’re thinking why me? Like what did I do?
Was I a bad kid?
It affected me a lot because I didn't know how to
handle people who were bullying me.
I saw a billboard that said Ronald McDonald
five K charity walk free and I was like, Okay, I like free.
Five K walk like I can do that.
Did the five K I was exhausted. But I showed up.
It was on time. And I went when everybody went
and I stopped when everybody stopped.
I was like, holy ****, I want to keep doing this.
Fitness allows me to feel like everyone else.
Alicia: What do you want me like sled?
Misty: You can have me run like we did last time.
Alicia: Oh that was cool. Misty: That was good because you
came with me. And then we can do butter ropes
and then we can do pull ups.
No one is judging anyone in the fitness community.
Everyone is encouraging one another.
I started like seeing the world differently.
Alicia: Go on my count.
5, 4, 3, 2 and rest.
Yeah. Misty: Burn.
Alicia: Burn baby burn. shoulders.
Misty: Because I don't take your classes.
She, she’s crazy, 5am.
Interviewer: What are your classes like?
Alicia: Oh they're pretty fun. I call it fun.
Misty: She’s trying to get people up at five in the morning.
Alicia: 4:30. Misty: 4:30 sorry.
Alicia: You should come you got to come that day.
Misty: I might. Alicia: No not might you should.
Misty: When I joined Instagram I
didn't know anything about the platform.
Just by simply just looking at the word I remember just
going, “oh my gosh, I'm beautiful, they're beautiful.
Why don't we just add the two together and just make the hashtag.”
So it just goes to show you that if you take something,
that you can take anything, and if you just slightly make an adjustment
you can change the world.
Oh, we are off right now to a coffee shop.
And we're going to go meet one of my spina beautiful girls,
who I haven't seen in a while so it’s going to be pretty cool.
Bryce: I was diagnosed with Spina bifida when I was born,
I was totally independent walking on my own
with nothing, with like maybe a little bit of a limp.
And then in 2013 I had to start using crutches,
ever since then.
Misty: Are you using your crutches more? Are you using …?
Bryce: My wheelchair actually.
To be a young person with Spina bifida it is difficult.
Misty: But you're still going to school, you're still doing your classes,
you're still staying active you're skiing. Bryce: Yeah.
So you just kind of have to slightly modify things a little bit differently.
Bryce: Yeah. And that’s okay. Misty: Yeah.
Bryce: Meeting you has been awesome.
It's brought more confidence in my life.
Misty: Yeah, it’s just super cool to be able to meet somebody.
It's just really good to like meet others who are adaptive
whether it be Spina bifida or not. Bryce: There you go.
Misty: Turn around turn this way.
Bryce: I loved meeting Misty today.
Just know that you have somebody there
and that you do have a support system.
Misty: So seeing Bryce today was like beyond great.
And she is Spina beautiful.
Being with others who are adaptive and and who are Spina beautiful,
is the greatest gift that I could ever give somebody.
How I feel now looking back everything I went through;
one I can handle anything.
Two I get why went through everything
because now I'm able to serve a greater purpose and helping others.
So I can use my knowledge to serve other people
and help them get through stuff.