'Teachers humiliated and embarrassed me' – woman with neurological condition hits back at bullies
After years of bullying at both school and in the workplace, one woman hopes to use her experiences to help others suffering from a rare medical condition.
Krishna Talsania is a 31-year-old community support worker who spends her days caring for older adults with mental health illnesses.
Yet despite her positive outlook, she often struggles to stand long enough to cook or walk for long distances thanks to the neurological condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth.
Currently incurable and steadily progressive, CMT causes muscle weakness in the lower legs and hands, leading to problems like hammer toes, restricted mobility and uncontrollable pain when carrying out tasks needing fine motor skills such as fastening shoe laces.
Mrs Talsania said: “I noticed I had problems when I was seven. I was falling, tripping up, tired, not able to walk properly and had pain in my ankles.
“My parents took me to the GP who initially thought I had growing pains or possibly early puberty – yes, at seven.”
About six months later, she was diagnosed with CMT type 1a and referred to an orthopaedic surgeon where she had her first surgery on her left foot, which involved a tendon transfer.
With the surgery appearing to be a success, she carried on to have a normal childhood until age 13, when her health began to deteriorate again.
She said: “My right foot became weaker and I had trouble walking. I had a second surgery, the same tendon transfer on my right foot, but it wasn’t as successful.
“Finally, when I was 14 or 15, I had my third surgery to correct my hammer toes on both feet and spent about six or seven weeks in a wheelchair.”
But despite often struggling to even walk to school due to the pain, Mrs Talsania says she endured years of bullying from both classmates and teachers.
She said: “I was even once pushed down the stairs at school resulting in a broken toe, but there was very little understanding and support from the teachers.
“My sports teachers humiliated and embarrassed me once at school with remarks such as ‘stop being so lazy’ and ‘pick up feet when you run’.
“I dreaded any sports day because I was never able to participate properly – I was either too slow or too clumsy.”
Now, having married and gained a Master’s degree in health psychology as a mature student, she hopes to raise awareness of the condition so that no child or adult has to suffer in the same way.
Mrs Talsania said: “General day-to-day activities take a lot of energy as I have less control over my mobility and my muscles hurt so walking and doing is just more effort.
“And because I’m weak, I’m prone to slips and trips and falls. If I’m cooking, I have to sit down because I’m tired.
“Winter is most definitely worse for me and my muscles know instantly that the temperature has dropped so I have to put an extra layer on.”
Charity CMT UK is aware of 3,000 people in the country with the condition, but experts believe there are 23,000 sufferers UK-wide with CMT and the charity is keen find the others so it can offer advice on how to manage the condition as well as support with benefits, jobs and family issues.
CMT UK’s chief operating officer Karen Butcher said: “We want to reach out to people who may not be members of CMT UK and urge them to get in touch.
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“We know what they’re going through and the challenges they face, so we can answer their questions, put them in touch with other people and families with CMT and tell them where they can get help and advice.”
To find out more visit www.cmt.org.uk or contact 0800 652 6316