Val Velde, Co-Chair Disability Awareness ERG, Land O’Lakes
Imagine driving in a large city that you are unfamiliar with when suddenly your vision goes blurry. So blurry you can not read signs and can barely tell if you are in the correct lane. Employees with disabilities find themselves in uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe situations. What’s your story? With 25% of the population struggling with some type of disability I know you have your own story or that of a loved one. Here’s my story.
Shortly after the birth of my second child I started having back and neck pain. I went to chiropractors and doctors, but it was widely dismissed until July 4th, 2011. I had spent that previous night sitting in a chair unable to move my head or upper back without shooting pain. I lost feeling in my arms. After the rest of my family woke up, I went into the ER. I had herniated a disk in my neck and required emergency surgery to remove the pressure off my spinal cord. The C3/ C4 disks in my neck were fused but not before being asked numerous times if I was in a car accident or was a victim of abuse. No, I just have a lot of back and neck pain was repeatedly my answer.
It was still years later when I got a formal diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). It’s a form of arthritis that is autoimmune driven. It’s basically when your immune system decides to attack your spine. For those of you with autoimmune diseases you know that it’s common to develop a secondary autoimmune disease. For me that Sjogren’s disease. It’s when your body attacks the glands that produce fluid for your eyes and mouth.
I tried hard during these years to “not allow” my autoimmune diseases to impact my career. However, I learned that’s simply not always possible. In 2018, most of my job was based in the Upper Midwest however I also supported a team on the West Coast. That year I traveled out there 5 or 6 times. Each time I landed in Portland, OR I was in a full flare. Spine pain, extremefatigue, and just generally feeling like I’d been hit with a truck. I’m still not certain exactly what caused my body to go into a flare- the flight, stress, hours change, not having the right biologic injection for my body. It was likely a combination, but it became clear that by the time I got to the plant I wasn’t functioning at a productive level. During my last trip the Sjogren’s disease flared at the same time as the AS. I found myself in the situation that moved from challenging to dangerous. Driving in a rental car in an unfamiliar city with impaired vision was the “straw the broke the camels back” for me.
For the first in my career I had to ask for an adjustment to my role. I have a wonderfully understanding manager and team.Today I have more responsibilities locally and I no longer manage a team that requires long distance travel. I add value to my teams while being respectful to the needs of my body. It’s ok to ask for what you need. Here at Land O’Lakes we have a Disability Awareness ERG and lots of resources to assist you, if you find yourself in a similar situation. Disabilities can be challenging, but together we can make it a happy ending that focuses on your amazing abilities.
My Journey 