Yasmin was celebrating a night out in town with her best friend, but had no idea her night would turn sour after she found a note on her windshield. It was an angry note left by an anonymous person, so Yasmin took her venting to social media. When she started explaining the situation, people banded together, siding with her.
Thanks to Yasmin’s viral post, she helped raise awareness of other people’s situations and what they keep facing every day. Here’s Yasmin Swift’s story, a young woman that, at first look, she’s just a typical young girl.
Yasmin and her best friend went out for a night of dancing. After having fun together, Yasmin was the designated driver, so she reached out into her purse for her keys. Was it a parking ticket?
wondered Yasmin. Or it could have been a note from someone that had scratched her car. As she took a closer look, she felt like her great night was now completely ruined.
All the laughs and jokes towards the car melted as soon as Yasmin and her friends read that note. And there it was, yet another frustrating note in her windshield.
She has had enough with all those ‘vigilantes’ out there that wanted justice for the handicapped without knowing her story.
The note wasn’t a ticket or a message from someone telling her they scratched her car. It was from a ‘good-doer’ that felt the need to intervene. “You are parked illegally.
You are not disabled. I will inform the authorities accordingly,” wrote the note. But was that anonymous person right?
Of course, parking in a handicap parking area is illegal, and most people that see you do that will frown at you and make remarks about your poor decisions. But for Yasmin, this note was more than personal… You see, Yasmin has been through many similar situations, with people frowning at her when she occupied a handicapped spot, and she’s read a lot of accusing notes.
That night, she had enough!
The short message was so harsh that Yasmine’s happy night instantly got all gloomy. It was so overwhelming that she just broke into tears, again.
You see, Yasmine would have never parked into a handicap spot because she was lazy or she thought it was fun. She had a reason to do it, unfortunately.
Taking a look back at Yasmin’s past, she was a healthy baby. Her parents never saw her have any physical illness or other afflictions. She was a healthy teenage and her good health carried on after she graduated from high school.
After high school, she got a job as a hairdresser. From then on, her life got worse…
Out of a sudden, Yasmin’s health deteriorated. She thought that maybe it was the flu.
But the symptoms were all over the place, she explained in an interview after her story went viral. “The main thing that I noticed was my legs swelling up, my stomach, my back, and my eyes also became really puffy and sore.” What was wrong with her body?
The pain in her body and the swelling was treated with painkillers and antihistamines, but nothing worked. She couldn’t work anymore due to the pain, and she kept getting thinner as days passed. Although Yasmin ate normally, she still lost weight and after getting that thin, she lost her appetite.
It wasn’t a cold or a virus, so her mom took her to a doctor. The diagnosis was outrageous!
After running some tests, doctors couldn’t reach a conclusion to give Yasmin a diagnosis. They said she was just exhausted and she should rest more and take time off work.
Little did the doctors know that Yasmin was actually suffering from an illness that hides in plain sight!
Yasmin had been hospitalized so many times at the Tenterden Hospital in Kent that every doctor and nurse knew her. Doctors still had no clue about her disease… They believed that it could be something psychological, like hypochondria.
But Yasmin knew she wasn’t imagining her pain since it was pretty real! When she lost hope, doctors finally had a diagnosis for her.
“I was literally walking the distance of a room before I had to stop walking. My exercise routine went from healthy to non-existent,” recalls Yasmin.
“Where I used to go to the gym five times a week, my health was just getting worse and worse.” Now she had a diagnosis, as her symptoms became more clear. Her mom thought she’d lose her…
Yasmin was only 19 when she found out that she suffers from Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PHTN). It is a rare disorder that affects both the lungs and he heart.
Patients with PHTN cannot properly breath, but what shocked her was that most people born with this disorder do not live past 17.
“The diagnosis was a relief at first but now it’s just difficult to live with,” said Yasmin, who thought she was just a regular young adult… “Now I’m on medication it’s more manageable, I’ve actually had a pump fitted now which I have to take my medication though, it’s permanently attached to me.” She is literally surviving the odds!
To make sure that she could still live and feel well, Yasmin had to do a lot of adjustments to her life. Aside from the treatment, which is very expensive, she knew she wouldn’t be able to lead a normal life again… So Yasmin hoped that she could get the help she needed online.
She set up a crowdfunding campaign with a $1,300 goal to help her with the initial treatment and procedures.
Yasmin was nervous, thinking she wouldn’t be able to get her treatment and the campaign might not be successful. However, when she logged in to see how the funding was going, she was stunned! Yasmine was looking at the goal that was surpassed by 221%!
But aside from this great news, Yasmin also got legally classified as disabled. This takes us to the windshield note.
So, although Yasmin looked healthy, she was still suffering from a life-threatening condition. And looking at the message left in the windshield, all the tough moments she had been through were now coming back to her.
This made Yasmin take her shock and frustration to social media.
Although suffering from PHTN, Yasmin tried to live a normal life and was thankful that she was still alive. She is an outgoing person and likes to hang out with her friends, so that’s why she was out that night. After all, Yasmin is just like any other regular teen that wants to have fun.
Although she is suffering from an ‘invisible’ physical disability, the note in the car’s windshield was too much for her. So she started writing on Facebook…
Yasmin couldn’t ignore her anger, so she let it all out. On Facebook, she wrote about her condition, and added that she had a badge to prove she was disabled.
“Whoever wrote this couldn’t write their name, couldn’t write their number and didn’t want to approach me in person,” said Yasmin.
The response from people all around the world was incredible, and everyone supported her.
One person even reached out to tell Yasmin that she also has PH and it is indeed disabling, yet shows no visible disabilities.
Yasmin’s post also increased awareness on this condition that has disabled many others. She was glad that she got the positive attentions and good thoughts from everyone.
Moreover, she urged everyone to share her post and raise awareness about this problem, so others like her don’t have to go through such frustrating moments.
What keeps Yasmin going is the great team she has behind her. Her parents, her boyfriend and friends are supportive and they help her live her life to the fullest.
Yasmin was able to go to festivals and enjoy her young years. Her boyfriend Tyler Norris is always there for he to help her out in the scariest moments, giving her strength to carry on.
Life for Yasmin is like an adventure waiting to be fulfilled. She went together with Norris to Portugal to relax and sunbathe. This was one of her bucket-list wish!
She swam with dolphins and had a lot of fun with Norris, and that was all thanks to the people that have helped her live an exciting life. She felt lucky…
Being diagnosed with such a condition is terrible, but with all the help around her, Yasmin felt lucky. Together with her treatment, she changed her mentality.
A positive mind helped her go into a healthier direction. And that’s why she wants to educate and inform those that still have outdated ideas of what it means to be disabled.
Although Yasmin’s condition has made her weak, she is a strong person.
Being able to face a new day and be judged by others, like the person that left her the message on her car is a feat of strength that not many people have.
With the help of her loving family and friends, Yasmin has become her own hero. She is living a full life, and takes nothing for granted.
She is also a voice for those that suffer in silence, and she deserves all the help she can get. Yasmin, you’re awesome!