Pexels/Reddit

Having a disability comes with an extra job, which is convincing everyone else that they exist.

One woman with myalgic encephalomyelitis had spent two years missing family events, and her relatives never believed she was really sick.

When she finally got a mobility aid that let her move more easily, she brought it to a family gathering, and the stares started the moment she arrived.

She spent the evening explaining her condition to anyone who would listen.

At the end of the night, her grandma demanded to use the wheelchair, because in her eyes, her granddaughter didn’t truly need it.

The rest of the family sided with Grandma, and the woman lost her temper.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for not letting my grandma use my mobility aid

So I [F26] finally got myself an electric rollator/wheelchair, which I need because of my myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

Finally feeling like I can move around and possibly do something without getting horrible PEM, I went to a family outing.

She’s always felt like her family has downplayed her struggles.

This was everybody’s first time seeing me with a mobility aid of any kind, and they don’t really like or believe that I’m sick, even though I’ve been absent from most things for the past two years.

But she tried to put all of that aside and enjoy herself.

Anyway, I arrive and do the hill in the electric wheelchair mode, but once I get inside my aunt’s house where we’re gathering, I just walk over to the sofa and slump there.

Everybody obviously stares at me, but they mostly let me be.

Still, none of her family really seems to understand what she’s going through.

During the evening, I try to explain my condition over and over to different people.

By the end of the night, I’m pretty sure the majority thinks I’m just doing it for attention.

That’s when her grandma makes the biggest overstep of all.

So when it’s time to leave and go to the cars, my grandma wants to use my wheelchair as a rollator, ’cause she has bad balance.

Now, no shade to her, but she’s really heavy-set, and my mobility aid is new and shiny. I really don’t want it to break, even accidentally, and I also need it to get down the hill.

She decides to stand her ground.

So I tell her no, ’cause I need it, but she tells me, “How can you need it? You’re so young, and you walk just fine.”

Now she’s standing there just fine while I have to sit on a stool putting my shoes on so I don’t start feeling sick. She can’t put her own shoes on, though, but for that, I’d blame the stomach and cankles.

Now the whole family is turning on her like a pack of wolves.

Now, at this point, everybody starts telling me to let my grandma use my mobility aid, telling me that I can survive one hill. Which is true, I can, but I don’t think that’s the point.

Finally, she loses her patience.

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

So I slightly explode: “If you needed a rollator so bad, why don’t you just get your own from the government? No need to complain about pain with walking if you aren’t trying to ease it in any way.”

Now, AITA?

This may go down in history as the most dramatic family outing of all time.

What did Reddit have to say?

She was right to call her grandmother out the way she did.

It’s her wheelchair, so it should be her decision.

She really did need her mobility aid, whether her family believed it or not.

Her family should feel ashamed of themselves for behaving this way.

Add TwistedSifter to your Google News Add us as a preferred source on Google

Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.