Disability, Schmisability

So, I recently came across another amazing video. Actually, I'm more amazed by this man and all of his work than just one video. His name is Bill Shannon, and apparently he's been out there for a while - he's a hip hop dancer, but he's been disabled since he was a child.

At age 5, Shannon was diagnosed with Legg-Calf Perthese disease, which he says affects the ball and socket joint development in the hips. Basically, the blood circulation to the hips is dramatically reduced, so that the joint bones don't solidify. Thus, any pressure to the hips crushes this softer bone, which is the head of the femur of the ball of the hip. OUCH. I've never heard of this disease, but I sure wouldn't want it - he's been on crutches almost his entire life.

BUT, there is a silver lining. Shannon has overcome almost everything he has to endure to become an amazing hip hop dancer. Yes, on crutches, hence his nickname: Master Crutch. He's even had a video on MTV2, shown below:

This guy's incredible. He's invented a new type of hip hop dance which uses crutches and a skateboard, which he calls Stepping Roll. He said he first created it just to walk long distances when he lived in Chicago - but as we can see, it's evolved a little from that.

His blog is fascinating, so I recommend reading it! Enjoy.

--Robin

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