I Can't Walk - So I Became A Mermaid | BORN DIFFERENT

HELENA, based in Virginia, is a professional mermaid with a unique story. She has a progressive condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), which causes damage to her nerves and has, over time, resulted in her losing her ability to walk. When she was first diagnosed at the age of 14, Helena says she had "never even heard of it" and "didn't know anyone with CMT at all - I felt pretty alone for a while". When she then lost her ability to walk around 10 years ago, Helena remembers going through a "grieving period", having previously been very physically active. As Helena struggled to adapt to the effects of her life-changing condition, a physiotherapist introduced her to the world of mermaiding, pointing out that swimming was a great way of staying active. Helena immediately dove in and found a new sense of freedom in the underwater world: "I really enjoyed being a mermaid and the way people reacted to me as a mermaid - it was about me and not just about my wheelchair." Helena The Mermaid was born. Since she embarked on her new career, Helena's husband of 11 years, Darren, has been a constant source of support - travelling to fairs and festivals with her, helping her get in and out of her mermaid tail and shooting photos for her social media. He told Truly: "I love when she has photoshoots because it's an opportunity for her to spread awareness and also a chance for the world to see how beautiful she is." But Helena has received her fair share of negativity too - online she has had people telling her to "just stand up" and, in person, a nurse questioned why Darren married her and asked if Helena had "tricked him" into marrying her. None of that has deterred Helena though and her business continues to go from strength to strength. She has spent $10,000 so far on mermaid costumes and recently built a magical "lagoon" in her back garden, where she and her mermaid friends create an enchanting world for children to get lost in: "I love the kids when they see me, I can see the lights in their eyes!" When we followed Helena to her latest photoshoot, she told Truly: "Mermaiding has changed my life, it has made me more open, proud of who I am and confident in myself." And whilst Helena knows she will have to retire from mermaiding one day, when her condition eventually makes it too difficult to take to the water, she says she'll "always be a mermaid at heart".

Follow Helena on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/helenathemermaid