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
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.