Nicole Diaz
As a girl, I wanted to live my life with profound purpose. I was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a condition affecting the nerves that control muscle movement, and I’ve been in a wheelchair my entire life.
Coming from a disadvantaged home, I gained a survivor’s strength. My parents constantly reminded me that my handicap was not an excuse. At 19, my family roots scattered, and I was left to discover just how strong I really was. I learned that I despised defeat and solutions were all around me, whether that meant finding help out of bed or traveling in my chair for miles to get to a gig. I began to believe I was bigger than just surviving!
I believe as disabled women it’s crucial we take charge over defining ourselves. In exploring what kind of “special” I could bring to this world, I tried various career choices like working with underprivileged youth and disabled advocacy. Each showed me a joy for promoting awareness and compelling people to love. Yet there was always one gift that fulfilled my heart when breaking barriers and uniting people: writing songs.
As I wrote, recorded, and performed my first album in 1997, I saw how my music fostered a quality that made it easy for others to relate to me on a human level and opened their souls accepting a diverse view of beauty.
I am RAW Beauty because today, although SMA weakened my ability to sing, I work hard at trying to present my songs to several entertainment platforms and know that one day the whole world will hear. I continue chasing my dream as a song creator/love-bringer.
I am a Song Creator, Love-Bringer! I’m 46, disabled, and passionate!
My story is about going from powerless to powerful.
Photographed by Danny Garcia
As a girl, I wanted to live my life with profound purpose. I was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a condition affecting the nerves that control muscle movement, and I’ve been in a wheelchair my entire life.
Coming from a disadvantaged home, I gained a survivor’s strength. My parents constantly reminded me that my handicap was not an excuse. At 19, my family roots scattered, and I was left to discover just how strong I really was. I learned that I despised defeat and solutions were all around me, whether that meant finding help out of bed or traveling in my chair for miles to get to a gig. I began to believe I was bigger than just surviving!
I believe as disabled women it’s crucial we take charge over defining ourselves. In exploring what kind of “special” I could bring to this world, I tried various career choices like working with underprivileged youth and disabled advocacy. Each showed me a joy for promoting awareness and compelling people to love. Yet there was always one gift that fulfilled my heart when breaking barriers and uniting people: writing songs.
As I wrote, recorded, and performed my first album in 1997, I saw how my music fostered a quality that made it easy for others to relate to me on a human level and opened their souls accepting a diverse view of beauty.
I am RAW Beauty because today, although SMA weakened my ability to sing, I work hard at trying to present my songs to several entertainment platforms and know that one day the whole world will hear. I continue chasing my dream as a song creator/love-bringer.
I am a Song Creator, Love-Bringer! I’m 46, disabled, and passionate!
My story is about going from powerless to powerful.
Photographed by Danny Garcia
