Alex Dacy, also known as Wheelchair Rapunzel, was born with a rare, genetic d̲i̲s̲a̲b̲i̲l̲i̲t̲y̲ called spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic d̲i̲s̲a̲b̲i̲l̲i̲t̲y̲ that causes muscle wasting and mobility problems. Alexa has become a strong voice for the things she is passionate about, which include ending the stigma surrounding d̲i̲s̲a̲b̲i̲l̲ed people.
“Disabled parenthood is so heavily stigmatized in society and I really want to open up conversations about this topic,” she wrote on Instagram.
Alex has s̲p̲i̲n̲a̲l̲ ̲m̲u̲s̲c̲u̲l̲a̲r̲ atrophy type 2, a genetic condition that affects the motor neurons, the nerves that control muscle movement. Since falling pregnant unexpectedly, she’s had to stop her treatment.
“A lot of women with my disease give birth… yes it is pretty much .h.ell, but it is possible,” Alex says in a series of videos documenting her pregnancy journey.
“I am considered a high-risk pregnancy, but a full team is seeing me of doctors,” she said.
She said the main issue will likely be her respiratory health and she may require a C-section.
Alex admits, in the beginning, they weren’t sure how her pregnancy was going to go – but now she’s past the halfway mark, she can answer more questions.
One question she fields a lot is whether the baby will have enough room to grow in her body.
After speaking with her doctor, she was able to confirm that there is more than enough room for bub, and that’s evident by how much the baby is moving.
“My doctor was like, ‘yes, your womb is like the same as anybody else’s and she is going to make room, she has plenty of room in there’.”
Alex is due on April 15 and is excited to meet her “little angel”.