Cara Yar Khan talks HIBM and Fighting The Stigma of Disability

I had the pleasure to sit down and talk with Cara E. Yar Khan UNICEF, Child Protection Specialist. Cara joined UNICEF in 2007, after working 6 years with the U.N. World Food Program in Ecuador, Dell Inc. in Panama and as a private consultant in China. From UNICEF Angola, she was transferred to UNICEF China to support the Sichuan Earthquake Emergency Operation. This was followed by UNICEF assignments in Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Thailand and most recently, Haiti, where she served as the Resource Mobilization Specialist and Disability Focal Point for two years.At the age of 30 was diagnosed with a very rare recessive genetic condition, Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy (HIBM). HIBM is an adult-onset progressive muscle-wasting disease which affects all skeletal muscles, typically leading to incapacity within 10-15 years. There are fewer than 1,000 known patients worldwide and at present, there is no approved treatment or cure. Thirteen years after her initial onset, the first fall, Cara now walks with the aid of leg braces and a walker.If you think that was going to stop her....YOU ARE WRONG! Her diagnosis has only strengthened her mission to reach more platforms to fight the stigma of disability.Cara is a true angel on earth and I am humbled by her grace. Take a few minutes to listen to her inspirational story.