ALEX DACY: People with disabilities can feel sexy in their bodies and we do. It's just so important for people
with disabilities to be represented in this movement and I feel like they really aren't.
ALEX DACY: All right, can you help me like, do my hair a little bit? Make it beautiful.
JACKIE DACY: Sure, because you know, ALEX DACY: I mean it already is beautiful.
JACKIE DACY: How good I’m at that. This is called the sex kitten look.
ALEX DACY: I’m kind of digging it though, to be honest. Mom, I think you're really good at this.
JACKIE DACY: I’m really surprised because you usually don’t like anything I do with your hair.
JACKIE DACY: Wheelchair Rapunzal is a little edgy.
ALEX DACY: How edgy am I, Gosh! So, there is different types of SMA, I have type two.
Just a genetic disease that I was born with and it just affects all my muscles. I was always in a wheelchair;
I was never able to walk.
JACKIE DACY: I thought maybe she just had, maybe a dislocated hip or some orthopaedic problem.
The doctors kept telling me, “She’s just you know, a little delayed in walking” and “No problem, it’ll all come
together.” Until finally a doctor diagnosed her with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. We were shocked, we didn’t know
what it meant. He went on to say what they meant and gave her so many years to live.
JACKIE DACY: SMA is a very serious disease. She did very well and continued to thrive without much complication.
ALEX DACY: I used to be very, very, very thin. I almost needed a feeding tube on, because with my disease,
you lose the ability to swallow. So, I kind of was losing that ability as a teen and I was not able to eat food.
JACKIE DACY: SMA affects the muscles that control head and neck control as well as swallowing, breathing,
things like that. Anything that’s really a muscle and the amount of muscles in your throat, and your tongue that
push food down, that we take for granted is, is really affected by SMA.
ALEX DACY: Yeah. JACKIE DACY: But you learned a way around it.
ALEX DACY: My trick is adding tons of sauce to everything.
ALEX DACY: An SMA stir. JACKIE DACY: Yeah, do your famous SMA, oh wait,
you need the wooden spoon for that. ALEX DACY: Oh, my wooden spoon.
JACKIE DACY: Your favourite wooden spoon.
ALEX DACY: Now, thanks to Spinraza, the new drug for SMA. Hopefully my quality of life will remain how it is.
Doctors can't really say it's going to make you better, but they do say like, “If anything, it’ll stop the progression of
the disease. For me, I felt a lot of improvement, changes with my arm strength has improved, which for someone
with SMA, it’s huge.
ALEX DACY: I can pretty much do all my make-up by myself but sometimes I do have someone to help me
with my foundation because it does get pretty tiring with my little disabled hand to do my entire face. I haven’t
always been super confident about my body. I have scoliosis so, my body is twisted, and my ribs protrude,
and you know, I have a different body than most people.
ALEX DACY: There is this body positive movement happening today and it's just so important for people
with disabilities to be represented in this movement and I feel like, they really aren’t. So, I started Instagramming,
kind of more formally about a year ago. I just love having the ability to advocate for everyone on a large scale like,
Instagram.
ALEX DACY: I post pictures of me kind of, more risqué.
ALEX DACY: People with disabilities can feel sexy in their bodies and we do. So, recently I posted a picture of
myself in a thong. I’m kind of, exemplifying that people with disabilities have booties that we want to show off.
It got, you know, a lot of attention and most of it was positive, it paid off so, that’s good.
ALEX DACY: I’m not a designer by any means so, I kind of, had to learn everything myself but, it's mainly all me
with the help of some of my friends. I sell merchandise that is aimed to make people feel positive about their
bodies and just their self. So, I sell t-shirts and hoodies and bracelets and all sorts of really cool things.
MAGGIE: She likes to kind of, toss in people’s faces like, “Hey, like, I’m edgy."
ALEX DACY: Totally. PAIGE: I’m just like, everyone else.
MAGGIE: I’m just like, everyone else and I think that’s really how she handles it and once you get to know her,
you forget she is in a wheelchair.
PAIGE: Yes, I never even think about that.
JACKIE DACY: Everyday Alex makes me proud. Watching her happiness as orders roll in, watching her face light up
when her followers have something beautiful to say to her. All of those things are the joy of my life.
ALEX DACY: A huge misconception about disability? Oh my Gosh! Where do I begin?
That people with disabilities don’t feel sexy or have romantic relationships. Even though I haven’t really ever
been like, in a serious one like, I make out with guys in clubs regularly.
ALEX DACY: I never really thought about my disability that much. I just always knew I had this thing and if
you know, Paige, my friend has to like drag me by my ankles to get from A to B, then that’s what we got to do.