Winnipegger's viral TikTok videos show challenges of living with a disability
A Winnipegger is giving an inside look at the realities of day-to-day life when living with both a visible and invisible disability.
Christen Roos was born with Thrombocytopenia Absent Radius syndrome, a condition that results in short arms. She was also born with low platelets, which required 56 blood transfusions to save her life.
She said her disabilities affect nearly every facet of her daily life.
“It’s pretty basic, down to cooking and how I do my makeup,” she told CTV News Winnipeg.
“Everybody asks me how I do my nails, and when I tell them I do them myself, they’re like ‘oh wow.’ I just got to keep going and figuring out ways to make things accessible to my disability, to my short arms.”
This curiosity from able-bodied people is part of the inspiration behind Roos’ popular TikTok account @lifewithshortarms.
She launched the account in April with a video about buying a jean jacket with short arms. Slowly but surely, her videos picked up thousands of views, showing everything from cooking to shopping to doing laundry.
“By making videos on TikTok, I’m just trying to normalize having a disability, and I’m just living my life every day. I do it a bit differently, but we still continue on and figure out ways to make it short arm-friendly and easy for me to be independent,” she said.
Roos also wants to use her platform to advocate to make the city more accessible for all. She said she hopes to meet with the City of Winnipeg to discuss the importance of sidewalk snow removal.
“Snow is a big part to living in Winnipeg,” said Roos, who has lived downtown for 13 years.
“I’m hoping to move forward with the City of Winnipeg and chat more about making sure that the sidewalks are cleared off, that we have access to the skywalks downtown and just understanding where those barriers impact us so greatly when essential services are cut off to access doctors, pharmacy, and even fun things like Jets games at Canada Life Centre.”
In the meantime, Roos said TikTok is a great platform to spread awareness and promote positive conversations about disabilities.
“The more that we have these conversations and talk about how disabilities affect our everyday lives, the better that we can move forward together,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.