LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock woman is turning her disability into a super power.
Steffni Randale was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as a child. It’s a severe and progressive genetic disorder that has no cure.
“When they diagnosed me, they said the muscles around my heart would give out and they gave me [a life expectancy of] 7. Now I’m 27,” Randale said.
The National Institute of Health reports Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy most typically affects men. Only one in 50 million women are diagnosed with it.
“It’s a muscle disease that attacks all of my muscles and makes them weaker than the average person’s. It’s weakened my legs, which is why I can’t walk,” Randale said. “I also have scoliosis which is the curvature of my spine and why I have the halo.”
Randale had the halo installed when she was 11 years old. She says starting 6th grade wasn’t easy, knowing she’d look different than everyone else, but she didn’t let it get her down.
“Why dwell on something you can’t change? There’s no cure, there’s no fix, so I have to keep living life and being happy. I’m very blessed,” Randale said.
It’s that same positive attitude that she shares across social media. Randale boasts more than 500,000 followers on TikTok.
“My niece wanted me to do a TikTok with her, so we did and it ended up going viral,” Randale said. “I wanted to show her that just because I have this disability it doesn’t stop me from wanting to post.”
Her story is also now televised. TLC asked her to be part of its new show “One Day in My Body”.
“They really liked my story and the positivity I take so it was nice,” Randale said. “It wasn’t until filming that it finally hit like ‘oh my god it’s finally happening.’”
She is featured on the third episode of the show which aired Wednesday night. You can watch it on streaming on Thursday.
Randale says she hopes her story inspires others who may feel different. She says she’s proof that critics can’t dim your light – carrying the moto “it’s just a bad day, not a bad life”.
“I just want to be an inspiration and a role model not just for people with disabilities, but other people who are too scared because the world can be cruel,” Randale said. “Nothing’s impossible unless you make it [impossible].”
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