Latest / Unbalanced with Cerys Davage / 56. From social outcast to Paralympic medalist (ft. Allison Lang)

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56. From social outcast to Paralympic medalist (ft. Allison Lang) · Unbalanced with Cerys Davage

0:10
Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Unbalanced
0:13
with Me, Kara Savage. I hope you're all doing well.
0:17
It's another day, it's another interview episode.
0:20
And if you're watching on the video, you may notice that one
0:23
of us is in broad daylight and the other one of us, hi, I'm in.
0:28
Well, it's pitch black outside and I'm using artificial light
0:31
because we're in different time zones today.
0:33
Today I'm interviewing Alison all the way from Canada.
0:36
Hi. Hi, thank you so much for having
0:38
me on. Today I'm so excited to chat and
0:41
get to know you. But first of all, introduce
0:43
yourself to us. Who are you and where are you
0:45
from? Yeah, my name is Alison Lang.
0:48
I'm a disability advocate from Canada.
0:51
I'm also a content creator, model and speaker.
0:54
And recently, which feels surreal to say, I became a first
0:59
time Paralympian and bronze. Medalist, that is insane.
1:04
Is that still like, not quite a reality for you yet?
1:07
Used to letting that sink in. It feels, I don't know how to
1:12
describe it, but for 3 1/2 years with my team, since Tokyo, we've
1:17
just been training for this moment and we had a goal and we
1:21
achieved it. And so it's just weird coming
1:24
out of the Games and having achieved your goals and then
1:28
having a break after. A part of my brain almost
1:31
doesn't register that it happened.
1:33
It feels like a fever dream. But I love to talk about it and
1:37
share my experience with everyone so.
1:39
It's been wonderful. Well, I can't wait to learn all
1:42
about it later on. But first of all, you're a
1:46
disability advocate, which obviously means you've got a
1:48
disability. What is it?
1:51
Yeah, I was born missing the lower half of my left leg at
1:55
birth unexpectedly. All of the ultrasounds looked
1:59
normal for my parents, so it was quite a shocker to them and the
2:03
doctors when I was born. It's interesting to share this
2:07
part of my life because obviously nobody knew that I
2:10
would be born with a disability and I was the very first child
2:14
for my parents. I'm the oldest of four.
2:17
And when I was born, the doctors actually took me away from my
2:20
parents and came back and told them that there was something
2:23
wrong with me. And I can't even believe what my
2:26
parents were feeling in that moment because to hear that
2:30
there's something wrong with your child is never news you
2:33
want to hear. But thankfully, my mom is a
2:36
nurse. So she asked, well, how are all
2:39
of her internal organs? How is everything inside her
2:42
body? And they said everything seems
2:43
to be fine, she's just missing a leg.
2:46
And then my parents kind of looked at each other and said,
2:47
OK, there's no problem there and raised me just like any other
2:51
child. But I'm sure we'll get into it
2:54
more. I mean, my childhood has not
2:56
been easy and. Yeah, I mean, I can imagine, you
3:00
know, your parents just having that initial shock because
3:02
obviously no one expects something like that, especially
3:04
if it's not like a warning beforehand.
3:08
But obviously after realising that, oh, that's, that's all
3:11
there is, you know, there's no ongoing issue.
3:13
It must have been something they had to quickly get used to.
3:16
But still, you know, trying to raise you the same as they were
3:19
hoping to do anyway. Oh.
3:20
Absolutely. They threw me into soccer
3:23
lessons with my siblings and obviously I didn't know any
3:26
different because as a child you don't really see your
3:29
differences yet. And so I just always wanted to
3:31
keep up with them. And that's I guess where my
3:33
mentality is even now as an adult.
3:36
But I was severely bullied in school.
3:38
I had a wonderful family and support system there, but in
3:42
elementary school, I was severely bullied.
3:45
I'd go for revision surgeries because I'm born with what's
3:49
called fibular hem. Amelia, I'm missing the fibular
3:52
bone beneath my knee but have my tibia bone.
3:55
And so as I would grow taller, the end of my residual leg, the
3:59
bone would start piercing through the skin.
4:01
And it was so painful. And this happened every time I
4:05
had a growth spurt. So I went for revision surgeries
4:08
every two to three years until I was around the age of 11 and 12.
4:12
So I would have to relearn how to walk and, you know, get my
4:16
gait and alignment adjusted at my prosthetist.
4:19
I'd have to go to school in a wheelchair and on crutches.
4:22
And obviously we kind of all know, but kids can be mean.
4:28
So I was called things like Barbie and peg leg.
4:31
And there was one instance where one of the kids at school took
4:35
my prosthetic leg and buried it in the sandbox, so I couldn't
4:39
find it. Yeah, I was mortified that.
4:42
Is cruelty. Like I know kids can be mean but
4:45
that is next level. People are always shocked when I
4:49
tell them I was more than just emotionally bullied, I was also
4:52
physically bullied in that aspect and it really hindered
4:56
with myself confidence. When I was just at the age of
4:59
10, I would go home and tell my mom I didn't want to be alive
5:02
anymore because I would say things like, I don't understand
5:06
how people believe in God because if God were real, why
5:09
would he make me born with one leg?
5:11
To have to go through something like this that's so painful, the
5:15
surgeries, but also emotionally painful with the bullying, it
5:19
was really hard on me. I ended up switching schools and
5:23
that was kind of my saving grace in a sense.
5:26
I don't know much about your disability identity and how you
5:30
came to flourishing and acceptance of it, but for me, it
5:34
took a really long time. When I switched schools, I
5:38
avoided wearing shorts in the summer months.
5:40
And I would always make an excuse as to why I was limping
5:44
because I thought if I hid my disability identity, nobody
5:47
would ever know I was using a prosthetic leg.
5:50
And so I could avoid being judged and bullied and made fun
5:54
of. And that went on for so long.
5:57
Up until even my early 20s, I hid my prosthetic.
6:02
Wow, that is such a long time basically hiding who you are,
6:06
but I'm sure maybe at that time you felt that if your true
6:11
identity was revealed then they'd only see you for that and
6:14
not for you. Like was that just a chance for
6:17
people to try to get to know you as a person rather than free
6:20
disability? I think that was part of it for
6:22
sure. I did want people to get to know
6:25
me and see me as more than just disabled, but I had such tough
6:31
time being accepted for who I was in elementary.
6:35
I think I just wanted to blend in more than anything, which is
6:39
what we're trying to tell kids not to worry about now.
6:42
It's like, why blend in when you can stand out?
6:44
But that was never something I really thought of when I was
6:48
younger. I never thought of.
6:50
I mean, I say now like my personal saying is your
6:52
obstacle, is your opportunity. Because if I weren't disabled, I
6:57
wouldn't be connecting with people like you right now.
6:59
I wouldn't have represented Canada at the Paralympic Games.
7:02
I wouldn't have done all these amazing things, but when you're
7:06
younger you don't see the larger picture.
7:09
And for me it was more of I was putting a shield up to protect
7:13
my heart and just kind of get through life.
7:17
And to be honest, I wasn't living authentically as myself.
7:20
So there were moments that I didn't truly enjoy because I was
7:24
so obsessed with trying to hide my disability.
7:28
Yeah, I mean, that's such a tough time anyway.
7:30
How old are you when you moved schools?
7:32
We call it in Canada junior high.
7:34
So like I finished Grade 6, which would have been around
7:38
11:00 or 12:00, and then I switched into junior high, I
7:41
think around 13. OK, yeah, that sounds similar to
7:44
the UK school system. You moved to high school when
7:47
you're 12. OK.
7:48
Yeah, and very. Similar, yeah, but wow, that's
7:52
like such a young age that you're still trying to figure
7:54
out who you are. And everyone's got their flaws
7:57
that they're trying to hide from other people.
7:59
So I feel like no one's really being authentically themselves
8:01
when you're that young. Like, you're trying so
8:03
desperately to fit in with other people and to be like everyone
8:06
else. So that must have been like a
8:08
really hard time for me. My disability had only just
8:11
started affecting me when I was around 12:00, so I was just
8:14
always the slowest in class, you know, I was just always known as
8:18
like the slow kid. Like don't pick her to be on the
8:22
team. Let's like try and race Karis as
8:24
a joke because like, we're going to beat her.
8:25
Like boys like 3 years younger than me would easily outrun me
8:30
and I would just find that horrible.
8:33
And I didn't really know. I just knew that I had something
8:35
going on, but I didn't really understand the full extent of
8:38
it. But yeah, it's just such a tough
8:40
age, isn't it? Like to show that authenticity
8:44
and to want to truly be yourself when at that age all you want to
8:48
do is is blend in, right? Yeah.
8:51
And I mean, we're all going through puberty and our bodies
8:54
are starting to change. And then you're like, I want to
8:56
control this part of me and try to hide it.
8:59
And I'm, I'm so sorry that happened, that kids can be mean.
9:03
But I'm so happy that you've built a platform with your
9:06
experience to elevate and share stories.
9:08
So thank you. Well, thank you as well.
9:11
I mean, I'm so glad that our disabilities have connected us.
9:15
What was like building friendships like, you know, did
9:17
you do like a big reveal to them like that?
9:20
That must have been like, that would have been hilarious at
9:22
like a random like party people be like, so like, what's your
9:25
party trick? Oh, actually here's my prophetic
9:28
leg. You know, that would have been
9:29
the most iconic reveal. But anyway, like, what was that
9:32
like? I guess being a bit more
9:34
authentic with your loved ones I guess.
9:36
It's so funny you mentioned the party trick because I've only
9:40
ever done that once in my life, and that was at a house party
9:42
during university where I'm like, oh, this is my party
9:46
trick. And I took off my leg and was
9:48
waving it around. But that's just like such a
9:50
juxtaposition to how I was before that because I don't
9:56
know. When I was younger, I, it didn't
9:58
really phase me. When I was a child, I would play
10:00
soccer and go to the swim club, and I never felt the need to
10:04
hide my leg until, yeah, I was approaching those teenage years.
10:09
And as soon as I started masking my disability, I really thought
10:13
that any time I had to tell someone, it had to be this,
10:16
like, huge disclosure. And really, it never.
10:20
I think I put more pressure on myself.
10:22
You know, I thought, oh, if I'm going to be friends with this
10:26
girl in school, I have to, like, sit her down and tell her that I
10:30
have a disability. And I would almost prepare
10:32
myself for rejection. And obviously people that I were
10:38
friends with, they didn't care. But often times when I would go
10:43
to sleep over birthday parties and not every girl, they're new.
10:49
I would wait till everyone went to sleep and within my sleeping
10:52
bag, I would take my prosthetic off in the sleeping bag and keep
10:55
it in there and hidden. So if any of the girls had to
10:57
wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, they
11:01
wouldn't see it and get freaked out.
11:03
And that was that weighed on me so heavily that I didn't get to
11:07
live in a lot of moments because I was always thinking of other
11:11
possibilities. And then the way that I always
11:14
thought that I had to have this grandiose revealed to people
11:18
that I was disabled, I carried that over once I started dating.
11:22
And I always prepared myself and didn't know how to approach it.
11:27
And I'd go on several dates with people and then all of a sudden
11:32
I would kind of be like, I have to tell you something.
11:35
And I mean, when you're dating, people are kind of like, what's
11:38
happening? Like, what kind of huge thing
11:40
are you going to lay on me right now?
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And anytime that I would say, oh, I was born with one leg, I
11:46
would kind of give them my, my little spiel, my shortened
11:49
story. And then I would show them.
11:52
And it was kind of like show and tell.
11:54
I think I made it more awkward because I'd be like, OK, if you
11:56
have any questions, you can ask me.
11:59
I wish that someone had just told me when I was younger that
12:03
I didn't have to be a big deal because looking back now, I just
12:06
want to shake my younger self being like, you don't have to
12:09
make it this huge thing. It's not a big deal.
12:12
And most people that I dated didn't even care.
12:16
And I just wish that I had that guidance when I was younger
12:19
because I think it would have alleviated a lot of the anxiety
12:23
that I carried around my disability.
12:25
Oh, definitely. I mean, especially as you're the
12:28
one going through it and I didn't know anyone else with a
12:31
disability my age when I was younger, when I was a teenager.
12:35
You feel like the only person going through it and like, so
12:38
that makes it a huge deal. Did you know of anyone else in
12:41
similar situations to you when you were growing up?
12:44
Yeah, we have an organisation in Canada called the War Amps Champ
12:47
Programme and CHAMP stands for Child Amputee.
12:51
So because I was born with a disability, they often reach out
12:55
to the mothers right away and match them with another mother
12:58
with an older amputee just to give guidance on funding and
13:02
resources and assistance at hospitals and just some someone
13:07
that could relate to your situation.
13:09
So growing up, I had always kind of known someone with a
13:13
disability, which was so good for me.
13:16
And the only thing that really impacted me as far as
13:21
representation was having the lack of representation in
13:25
regards to disabled people in media and television,
13:29
advertisements, that kind of thing.
13:31
I truly never saw disability except for these annual seminars
13:36
where there was just a room full of just disabled people or in
13:41
the media as old people needing nursing homes and walkers.
13:45
It was great to have those supports, but at the same time,
13:48
it was really hard for me to integrate that into my everyday
13:52
life because every time I thought about disability, it was
13:54
just disabled people together or old people in advertisements.
13:58
So I kind of struggled with an identity crisis.
14:02
I'm like, where are these disabled people in the real
14:04
world? Why aren't they at my school?
14:06
Why aren't they on my soccer team?
14:08
Why don't I see them at the swimming pool?
14:10
And I truly didn't know that there were other people like me
14:16
in the world because it almost felt like a simulation.
14:18
When I was five years old going to these conferences, it was
14:21
like the one time I'd be like, Oh my gosh, there's finally
14:24
children like me. But then you go back home to
14:26
reality, and it's quite isolating.
14:30
That is actually part of the reason and the reason that I did
14:34
find sitting volleyball and how I got introduced to para sport
14:39
was because a girl that I knew from one of these seminars asked
14:42
me at the age of 15, just after I quit playing soccer because I
14:47
could no longer hide my prosthetic.
14:49
It was really hard and I went through an experience where some
14:53
parents said I was a danger to their children on the field and
14:57
refused to have their kids play against me.
14:59
So it really affected me because if I kick them in the shin with
15:04
my prosthetic leg, I could break their kids legs, which obviously
15:09
never happened. And there's been no storyline
15:12
that any amputee has ever broken anyone's leg by kicking them in
15:16
the shin. So it just, it was one of those
15:18
things where I needed to get out of sport.
15:20
It really affected me. Like I get choked up now talking
15:24
about it. And this girl from the champ
15:27
seminar invited me to try sitting volleyball.
15:30
And when I was 15, in my head, I didn't want to be associated
15:33
with the word disabled. I didn't want to try adaptive
15:35
sport because I didn't want to be looked at as less than or
15:39
playing a sport that I couldn't compete in with non disabled
15:42
folk. And so I first I said no and my
15:46
mom made me go try it. And then finally, I met other
15:50
women that I so wanted to be, but I didn't have the role
15:55
models on television or anything like that.
15:58
They had kids, they had husbands, they had partners,
16:01
they owned homes, they had amazing, successful careers.
16:05
And then we're on top of it all. We're representing Canada on the
16:08
international stage in sport. And so finally I had met a group
16:14
of individuals where I could see them in everyday life and what
16:19
they were doing outside of sport and outside of their disability,
16:22
and I wanted to be part of it. Wow, that's such a nice story.
16:27
It's a nice segue from like, feeling basically abandoned
16:31
because of your disability to feeling like you've got home and
16:36
a place in this world, you know? That's so beautiful.
16:39
So you started at 15. Did that hobby grow quite
16:42
quickly? What was that like?
16:45
I think I was just really young and naive and I didn't at first
16:50
understand the concept or the weight that it carried in
16:53
representing your country. Sitting volleyball was in its
16:56
grassroots stage when I joined the team.
16:59
It was a brand new sport. It had actually just joined the
17:03
Paralympic Games in 2004 and Canada didn't even have a
17:07
women's team yet. So I joined just as they were
17:10
creating it. I sucked at volleyball.
17:13
They only invited me because I was a disabled female with an
17:17
athletic background, and so over time they trained me to become
17:23
the volleyball player that I am now.
17:25
It took a lot, but it opened me up to a world of possibility
17:30
with sport and with these women. I started to travel at a really
17:34
young age. I think my first international
17:36
competition was at the age of 17, maybe even 16, and I
17:41
travelled all across the United States.
17:43
I went to Brazil and England and we competed in the Parapan
17:49
American Games and World Championships.
17:53
And honestly, I caught the travel bug right away with the
17:57
team. And as soon as I turned 18, I
18:00
started travelling leisurely. And I think because of the team
18:04
and because of travelling, it really helped boost my
18:07
confidence because I was travelling with a fierce group
18:11
of women. And then I started travelling
18:12
solo and backpacking the world. And it taught me a lot about
18:16
myself and that I didn't have to rely on other people to navigate
18:22
and do things. And it just shows the perception
18:26
on disabilities because even like family friends of my
18:30
families would make comments like, oh, you're letting Allison
18:33
go by herself. How is she going to be able to
18:36
do things? And it's funny now.
18:40
Well, funny for me to show photos now to those family
18:43
friends being like, Oh yeah, I've sailed across the ocean
18:48
from Panama City to Cartagena. I've done the world's longest
18:52
zip line. I volcano boarded down an active
18:55
volcano. And just doing these things to
18:57
showcase that disability doesn't have a limitation is what I'm
19:01
hoping to do. And I mean, even with our
19:05
disabilities, we might do things a little bit differently and
19:08
need different tools, but we're still capable of doing things
19:12
that we love and seeing the world so.
19:15
Just a little bit differently, that's all.
19:16
You know. Exactly.
19:19
That's so cool. So you did some backpacking?
19:21
Solo backpacking, which is something I can honestly say I
19:26
will never be able to do and I don't don't wish to do it
19:29
because it looks like such hard work.
19:32
How did you find that? How long did you go out?
19:34
Do you weigh your prosthetic all the time?
19:37
These are such good questions. I first started backpacking.
19:41
I did a like shorter. I mean, it's going to sound
19:44
long, but I went for a month to Thailand when I was 18 and then
19:47
when I was 19 I did a month in Bali.
19:50
And then shortly after that it grew.
19:53
I got accepted to go study French in 2017 in France and I
19:57
extended my stay and I ended up backpacking Europe by myself for
20:02
three months and my sister came to meet me at the tail end and
20:05
then. I loved it so much that after I
20:08
graduated with two of my best friends, I went and backpacked
20:11
Central America for a total of three months that summer.
20:15
And yeah, it's, it's funny because I do wear my prosthetic
20:20
and then I wear a big backpack with all my clothing in it.
20:23
But something people don't like, don't even consider is I always
20:28
have to pack an extra prosthetic with me and so that adds a lot
20:32
of weight. Everyone's always like why do
20:34
you go with such a big bag? It should be smaller.
20:36
But I'm pretty tall for a girl. I'm 5/8 and so my legs are quite
20:41
long, meaning my prosthetic is quite long.
20:43
So I need a larger bag to put it in.
20:45
And my prosthetics weigh about 7, sometimes 10 lbs.
20:50
No I I've had them refurbished to use the lighter materials for
20:55
that reason but it does add a lot of weight to my luggage.
20:59
But I've had one instance where I was in Greece and my
21:04
prosthetic plug it helps release air and tighten my leg and hold
21:09
it in on a suction system. It broke and so I have to come
21:14
home early. So it's just one of those things
21:16
where I always try to keep an extra prosthetic with me just to
21:20
ensure that if something happens while I'm abroad, especially in
21:24
certain countries, I'm not sure what kind of systems they have
21:27
put in place medically for people with disabilities.
21:29
And that's always in the back of my mind.
21:33
Did you feel like you had to plan a lot in advance?
21:35
Because I know people like to be spontaneous, but I can't be
21:40
spontaneous even if I'm just going to the pub.
21:42
Like I need to look up if the place is accessible, you know?
21:45
Yeah, I I do try to read a lot of blog posts and that's truly
21:49
why I started sharing my story online.
21:52
Just I wanted to showcase how things are done even as a
21:56
prosthetic user, like going to Central America or even
22:00
Southeast Asia, a lot of the time you do commutes to
22:03
different islands by boat. And so these were things that I
22:06
never even thought of. So I love to say that I'm
22:10
spontaneous, but to a certain extent because I do have to pre
22:14
plan in the case of like am I wearing my walking leg, which
22:17
isn't waterproof? Or can I, which is more
22:20
comfortable for longer walks and carrying my baggage?
22:25
Because my foot does have a little bit of like flex, it
22:30
alleviates a lot of the restraint on my knee.
22:33
It's just more comfortable for longer periods of time or do I
22:37
wear my waterproof that's a little bit less comfortable.
22:41
Maybe it hurts my hip after a long day of travelling.
22:44
And so those were things that I would often have to weigh and
22:47
that's why I love to show those online.
22:49
So if anybody else with a lower limb difference like me wants to
22:54
go adventure, they can have someone to kind of gauge or look
22:59
at and see how I've done it. By me sharing my story, I know
23:02
you and I touched on the representation and I think
23:05
that's such like an area that's often lacking.
23:09
I always say disabled people love to travel too, but we're
23:12
often forgot about when these trips and things are being
23:16
organised. Yeah, I love that you can just
23:19
like, choose what leg you want to wear that day.
23:21
I find that so cool. My joke is I actually have when
23:26
people are like I had kids being like, oh I'm so sorry, mess that
23:30
you have one leg. I'd be like, it's OK, I actually
23:33
have more legs than you. That's the.
23:37
Best response Yeah I I think I have 5 legs now.
23:41
I have a swim leg, my everyday walking leg.
23:43
I just finally got a high heel foot a few years ago.
23:47
I have a snowboarding leg and I have a running leg.
23:50
So one of those hook shaped. Legs.
23:53
You can tell that you're sporty. Wow.
23:55
Thank you. That's so cool.
23:57
Wow. OK, so you've you've, you've
24:00
done a lot, but obviously you've recently been to the Paralympics
24:04
and I want to know all about that.
24:06
I want to know what was it like to know that you were going and
24:10
that you were going to be competing?
24:12
What was the whole experience like?
24:14
Just tell me everything. Oh yeah, I'm like Oh my gosh,
24:18
where do I start? Because I still get goosebumps
24:21
about it. So many.
24:22
Questions as well. I love it.
24:24
I, I truly wish that I could like bottle everyone up and
24:28
bring them into my brain or through that whole experience
24:31
with me. I there's many layers to that.
24:35
And so my team has been trying to compete for years and we got
24:40
silver in Bosnia at World Champs in 2022.
24:43
So we just missed getting the first qualifying seat for Paris
24:48
at those games. We lost to Brazil.
24:51
And then Fast forward one year later, we were in Egypt in 2023,
24:57
which was a really tough decision for my team, whether or
25:00
not we were going to go because of the war that's going on in
25:05
the Gaza Strip. So being so close to where we
25:08
were competing in Cairo and we talked to a lot of security
25:14
managers and our manager did a great job of, you know, just
25:18
talking to World Paravali, ensuring that it would be safe
25:21
for us to go because we needed to qualify.
25:24
And we decided as a team that we would go, we would go in and get
25:28
out. And we knew we had a really good
25:31
chance at qualifying because the way the qualifying matches work,
25:35
it's by zone, it's by competition.
25:37
So China was going but had already qualified for the Asia
25:41
Zonal. Team USA wasn't going.
25:45
And then we get there and it's probably one of the most
25:50
challenging experiences of my life, aside from the games.
25:53
And we went in and competed against Germany and we won and
25:57
got silver. And in that moment, it was just
26:00
a weird complex of emotions because we beat Germany.
26:05
And then I I started instantly crying because our team just
26:09
qualified to go to the Paris Paralympic Games.
26:12
But then you almost have to snap out of it because the next day
26:14
we had a gold medal match against China.
26:17
So you're like in this high being like, Oh my God, we're
26:19
going to Paris, but we have another game tomorrow.
26:23
And so it was one of those things where we couldn't fully
26:27
celebrate that night. We got back in the zone, played
26:30
against China, unfortunately lost to China in four sets.
26:33
They're a great team though. And then we could celebrate that
26:37
night knowing that we are going to Paris.
26:39
With team sports, though, it's kind of hard.
26:41
Like we knew our team had qualified, but the roster, yet
26:44
we had to be created. So it wasn't until the new year
26:47
of 2023 or 2024 where we had to go to training camps.
26:53
They did physical testing on us and then the 12 athletes for our
26:57
team were declared in April last year, so quite close to the
27:04
games. And I saw my name on the list
27:07
that was published for Team Canada and I don't know how to
27:11
describe the feeling. I felt proud.
27:15
I felt like the little girl inside of me didn't know that
27:19
this would ever be a possibility because when I was really
27:22
little, I didn't even know the Paralympics existed because
27:26
they're not broadcasted the same way as the Olympics.
27:29
And I just knew that. I really wanted to try and
27:33
elevate Paralympic voices and share my journey online and have
27:37
people recognise that the word Para and Paralympics means
27:42
parallel not paraplegic, which is interesting that society just
27:47
assumed that. So the Paralympics run parallel
27:50
to the Olympic Games. And truthfully, when I walked
27:54
into the village and I saw athletes from all over the world
27:59
with an array of disabilities and competing in different
28:03
sporting sections, I felt like a part of my inner child healed.
28:07
Because I know that earlier I talked about the isolation of
28:12
going to the seminars with just disabled people and then not
28:15
having that integrated in my life.
28:18
I feel like as I've grown older, I've just sought out for a
28:22
stronger disabled community. And I think finally I have found
28:27
it on and off the court. And it's was like the most
28:32
beautiful feeling because you don't speak the same language as
28:36
all these people, but yet you're there for the commonality of
28:39
being the highest performance athlete there to represent your
28:44
country and hopefully make the podium.
28:47
Sorry, I'm crying. Wow.
28:51
It's so much. And then, yeah, just to go
28:55
through everything with my team, we lost to Brazil actually in
29:00
our preliminary match in Paris. And so we had to go and play
29:06
them in the bronze medal match. And I knew deep in my heart that
29:09
we could beat them. We've beat them before and we've
29:12
come second next to them so many times.
29:15
And it was just one of those things where I think a lot of
29:19
people don't realise that you can be physically fit in an
29:22
amazing athlete, but in order to truly combat, like any internal
29:27
struggles or hardships, you also have to be mentally strong.
29:32
And that really tested my mental strength.
29:35
And we beat Brazil in three sets, which is amazing.
29:39
And as soon as that whistle blew, you can see a video of me,
29:43
I'm jumping up. I play sitting volleyball and
29:45
I'm jumping up on one leg and I'm off the ground.
29:48
I'm so ecstatic and immediately just waterworks down my face.
29:53
And I don't think I stopped crying that whole day because I
29:58
had won a medal for my team, for my country and for the future
30:01
generation of disabled children that can now aspire to do great
30:06
things and know that they can represent their country on a
30:09
world international stage and get recognised.
30:13
And it was my team. Sorry I'm ranting, but my team
30:17
made history. We won the very first sitting
30:19
volleyball medal for Canada. We won the very first summer
30:24
team sport since London 2012, and then on top of it, this is
30:29
the first Games. Oh my gosh, I'm crying.
30:32
It's just such a pivotal moment. It's the very first Games where
30:36
Canada awarded the exact same monetary value to Paralympic
30:42
athletes as their Olympic counterpart.
30:45
So I feel like I'm just part of this great like progression in
30:48
the world where younger me felt so left out and unsure of who
30:54
she was and someone that didn't. I wanted to end her life because
30:58
of her disability to someone now where I get to see things turn
31:02
around and become more equal and obtainable for people with
31:06
disabilities. And so that's my 180 story.
31:11
Wow, I'm I, I've gotten so emotional listening to that and
31:16
you're doing it for younger self.
31:18
You're doing it for all those people out there, all those
31:21
children out there that feel like they don't have a place in
31:24
this world and they don't want to be here because of the
31:27
difference. But there is room for everyone.
31:30
And you have made history in just moving things forward in
31:34
the world and bringing the Paralympics to mainstream social
31:38
media. Obviously that's how I found you
31:41
representing the disabled community, not only for Canada,
31:45
but just for other women with limb differences and just it's
31:51
just amazing. So well, obviously
31:54
congratulations for thank you. Your bronze medal is it's
31:58
absolutely insane. Do you want to?
32:00
See it? I have it here.
32:05
I'm not joking. I knew I had a call with you
32:07
today, so I wanted to show you. But this is my bronze medal.
32:11
So this is a piece of the original Eiffel Tower from the
32:14
exhibition days in the 1800s. And then it's kind of
32:18
tarnishing, but it has Braille on the back for the inclusion of
32:23
all disabilities. And then, yeah, the Ajitos,
32:26
which I then got a tattooed on myself.
32:29
And then it has. Where is it?
32:33
Oh, I don't know if you can see it on camera, but it is
32:36
engraved. So it says women sitting
32:37
volleyball, which is really special.
32:41
Thank you so much for showing us that.
32:43
Of course, I've basically been in the presence of a Paralympic
32:48
medal. Now I'll.
32:51
Just have to come. Visit so you can hold it next
32:53
time I'm there. Yeah.
32:56
Good deal. That is incredible.
33:00
I mean, you're gonna be buzzing about this for the rest of your
33:04
life, I'm sure. And I'm sure the response has
33:06
been insane. Probably, probably too much that
33:09
you can't even deal with it all. But yeah, what was that like
33:13
kind of the aftermath? It's been, if I'm being
33:17
truthful, it's been really hard on me.
33:19
Actually. I think it's been great in the
33:21
sense that I've had wonderful people reach out and want to do
33:25
interviews and I get to go into schools and share my mettle and
33:29
have kids just learn about what the Paralympics is and what
33:34
adaptive sport is. And it's been a beautiful thing.
33:38
But I think if if I'm being so, so honest, it has been really
33:43
hard. It's been, I don't want to say
33:46
that I've been depressed, but they always warned you about the
33:48
post game Blues. And I just never understood.
33:51
I'm like, I'm on such a high right now.
33:53
I'm representing my country, I'm training full time, I'm with my
33:56
team all the time. And we talked about, you know,
33:59
finding a sense of belonging and community.
34:02
But right after the games, I didn't see my team for 3-4
34:07
months. And I took some time off of
34:09
training. And I, I felt, I guess that
34:12
moment of isolation again, where I was by myself and I, I had
34:18
worked so hard for a goal with so many women surrounding me and
34:23
we got to experience it together to now living in separate cities
34:27
across Canada and not being able to see them as frequently.
34:29
So that was a huge adjustment for me.
34:32
And I don't think people talk about like the, the mental
34:34
health aspect of athletes after the games.
34:36
And so I just wanted to share that because it's so authentic.
34:40
But aside from that, it's been the greatest gift to be able to
34:46
go in and showcase this hardware with young kids that I think one
34:52
thing I always want to highlight is anyone can become disabled at
34:56
any moment in time. And it really doesn't have to be
34:59
scary. If you're an athlete now when
35:01
you become disabled, you can still be an athlete if you so
35:04
choose to be after. And that the Paralympics are an
35:08
option or even just adaptive sport.
35:10
I mean, being an elite athlete isn't cut out for everyone.
35:13
And just because you become disabled doesn't mean that's
35:16
what you have to do with life. And kids get so excited about
35:19
it. Just it warms my heart.
35:22
Well, thank you so much for sharing that because I wouldn't
35:26
have any idea about the post Olympics and Paralympics Blues
35:31
like you said. And yeah, I can imagine actually
35:34
just, you know, working so long towards that thing and then
35:37
suddenly it's happened and it's like back to reality in a way.
35:41
That does sound really tough. I'm so glad that you have
35:44
carried on raising awareness. You also do modelling, am I
35:48
right? Yes, I do.
35:50
About that. Yeah, it's actually something I
35:53
never set out to do. It's really funny because my
35:56
first degree was in photography, so I was always someone behind
35:59
the camera. I love to shoot portraits and I
36:04
moved from a town, a city, I call it a town Edmonton.
36:08
So on the West side of Canada to Montreal on the east side of
36:12
Canada. And when I moved here, I
36:15
initially just wanted to try something new.
36:17
I also have my teaching degree, so I just thought I would be a
36:20
teacher. I didn't think anything else
36:23
would really come of it. But when I first moved here, I
36:26
started working at a marketing job.
36:29
And within that job I was working alongside this girl who
36:34
had said, oh, my best friend is a modelling agent and has her
36:39
own agency. I noticed on social media you
36:42
share some things about your prosthetic.
36:44
Can I just show her your profile?
36:46
And I was like, OK, didn't think anything of it.
36:50
Literally the next day, I get a phone call from this agent.
36:53
And she's like, hi, my name's Michelle.
36:56
I know what we haven't formally met, but I'd love to send you to
36:58
this casting call today that I think you'd be perfect for.
37:01
Can you go to this address at this time?
37:04
And I was like, wait, right now today?
37:06
And she was like, yeah, I'm like, I don't even know what to
37:08
wear. I've never done something like
37:10
this. And I went to the casting and
37:13
came back and within a few hours I got a phone call saying that I
37:16
got the job. And immediately she, she called
37:20
me up and told me and was like, congratulations, OK, can I send
37:23
you over a contract? Because I'd love to represent
37:26
you now. And so that has kind of been a
37:29
snowball effect for me because I've been so far in my modelling
37:33
career, I've been in in an Amazon commercial, a Government
37:37
of Canada commercial. I've modelled for countless
37:40
brands across Canada. And then recently, last year, I
37:44
modelled for Anthropology's launch of their adaptive
37:47
friendly clothing line. And so I got to meet other
37:51
amazing disabled models doing that.
37:53
And they invited us to have a seat at the table to talk about
37:56
the adaptive pieces and if they would truly function with our
38:00
bodies, which I've never been. A model that can also provide
38:05
insight, which I think is one thing that's lacking in
38:09
diversity, equity, and inclusion is, you know, I think disabled
38:13
people deserve to be part of the conversation and share lived
38:16
experiences. And that's how truly the world
38:19
will become more accessible and inclusive of all.
38:22
So that's been like a little snippet.
38:24
It still feels weird for me to say that I'm a model because I,
38:29
I don't know, I just never saw people like me, I guess in
38:32
advertisements growing up. But I'm so grateful that I can
38:36
hopefully be a role model to others.
38:39
Absolutely. I mean, I definitely didn't see
38:42
anything like that growing up. And you're again doing it for
38:45
younger you. Like if, if little, you could
38:47
see this now that is. It's just insane how far we've
38:51
come and hopefully how far we'll continue to go and push this out
38:56
and continue to raise awareness. But it's yeah, so cool that you
38:59
do that. And it's just nice to see you
39:00
being recognised for your work and your beauty as well.
39:05
Thank you so much. Yes, I always say disability is
39:08
beautiful. It is definitely.
39:11
I want to ask a question about the Paralympics and maybe a
39:17
misconception. I don't know if you've heard
39:18
this, but some people tend to think that if you're disabled,
39:23
it's like, oh, you should enter the Paralympics.
39:26
I've been asked that before, mostly by children who fair
39:29
enough, they don't know any better and they're like, well,
39:31
you have a disability, you're going to be in the Paralympics.
39:33
So I'm like, I'm not an athlete and I never have been.
39:36
That's a misconception. I've heard quite a lot with
39:40
disability. Do you agree?
39:41
Are there any other misconceptions that you've come
39:43
across that you'd like to address?
39:46
1st, I want to say that it is so refreshing to hear that children
39:50
say and know the word Paralympics.
39:52
So that makes me so happy. I know that in the UK the
39:56
Paralympics were a huge thing in 2012 and a lot of people still
40:00
follow them, which I'm hoping every country that hosts is
40:04
impacted that way and does. TuneIn That is a very
40:08
interesting question, because I think that is the
40:12
misunderstanding with the Paralympics is.
40:15
People that aren't familiar with disability or disabled athletes
40:21
assume that it's a sporting event that isn't tiered the same
40:26
way as the Olympics. So like before when I shared
40:28
that we had to qualify and then even though my team had to
40:31
qualify, I still had to make the roster and try out.
40:35
Regardless of your disability or not, you have to be the best of
40:39
the best within your sport and so there is amazing
40:43
organisations across the world that have adaptive sports and
40:49
teams that anybody can join regardless of the level of their
40:54
athleticism. But then it is the Paralympic
40:57
Games where you do have to be a high performance athlete and it
41:02
is so mentally and physically exhausting and enduring.
41:06
And I do think that once people recognise that you do have to be
41:11
an elite athlete to attend the Paralympic Games, that's when
41:14
that mind shift will happen where we can see, be seen more
41:18
on that even playing field to the Olympic Games.
41:21
Because would you just ask anybody that's non disabled if
41:25
they're going to the Olympics? No, but I think it is one of
41:28
those things where the Paralympics is finally being
41:32
more worldly recognised. But with that, hopefully they
41:38
bring up adaptive sport and that people within their communities
41:42
can go try sitting volleyball or wheelchair basketball or any
41:46
type of Paralympic sport, even though they don't plan to
41:51
compete at the Paralympic Games. Yeah, very well said.
41:54
And yeah, at least the Paralympics are getting
41:58
recognised. That's all we could have asked
42:00
for. I do remember actually,
42:03
obviously 2012, it was in London.
42:04
My parents took me to a Paralympic game and I'm trying
42:08
to think what it was now because I was still quite young, so I
42:11
don't really remember it. But I do remember my parents,
42:14
like, making an effort to introduce us to the Paralympics,
42:16
which, again, was a huge deal, even though I can't remember
42:19
what it was now. But that's amazing.
42:22
Yeah. Yeah.
42:23
Exactly. And hopefully the awareness of
42:26
it continues to go, and hopefully it just matches the
42:29
level of mainstream attention as the Olympics does.
42:33
I don't know if that makes sense.
42:35
Absolutely. Yeah.
42:36
But yeah. Is there anything else that
42:39
you'd like to add? I don't know, I always just try
42:41
to share for anyone listening that what might feel heavy and
42:45
weighted about your disability now or even learning about other
42:49
people's disability is doesn't have to be a taboo conversation
42:53
or like an untouched territory. I think the more discussions we
42:57
have around it, like just you and I talking about it today,
43:00
we'll just normalise disability within society and hopefully
43:05
people become more aware of how to be inclusive and have
43:10
accessibility and accommodations on the forefront of any kind of
43:14
plans or design. So I just want to encourage
43:17
people to research and have have these kinds of talks.
43:23
Exactly, and even if it doesn't affect you, it's still OK to
43:27
research into it and to learn new things.
43:30
And hopefully my podcast is a step in towards that direction
43:34
because I'm learning so much from this podcast and I've
43:37
learned so much from our conversation today.
43:39
So thank you so much for sharing your story.
43:42
And just a little insight into the exciting things in your life
43:45
and also the not so exciting things because that's also just
43:48
as important. I feel like I could talk to you
43:51
and ask you questions forever, but we'll just finish with this
43:55
one last question. I know you've touched on sharing
43:58
pieces of advice, but if there's one thing we can take away from
44:02
this episode as a piece of advice for maybe someone who's
44:05
struggling to come out of the disability closet or something,
44:10
maybe you'd say to your younger self, if it's not too painful,
44:13
Yeah. What would you say?
44:15
I want to say that loving and accepting yourself is far more
44:21
important than others loving and accepting you, your disability
44:25
or not. And it took me a very long time
44:29
practising with positive words of affirmations and gratitude
44:32
journal to overcome my insecurities.
44:36
But it is possible, and like I said earlier in the episode,
44:41
your obstacle or your differences can be your
44:45
opportunity. Your opportunity to do great
44:48
things, connect with others, or just live a.
44:51
Fulfilling life. Perfect.
44:53
Thank you so much for sharing that.
44:55
That's beautiful. Thank you.
44:57
Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you guys for listening.
45:01
I hope you enjoyed our little chat today.
45:03
Where can we find you on social media?
45:06
Yeah, you can find me on all forms of social media at Allison
45:10
E Lang. That's ALLISONELANG.
45:15
Amazing. I definitely recommend giving
45:16
her a follow this stuff she posted so cool and the awareness
45:20
that you raised on there is amazing.
45:23
So please keep going. Thank you guys.
45:26
Thank you so much. Thank you.
45:30
Thank you guys so much for listening.
45:32
I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, don't forget to
45:35
follow and rate this podcast 5 stars on your podcast platform.
45:39
If you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to subscribe and
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like this episode. Maybe leave a little comment.
45:44
Let me know what you thought. And thank you so much to Cure LG
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and D2I for sponsoring this podcast.
45:50
As always, I love you loads. I will speak to you guys in my
45:53
next episode very soon, but until then, bye.