(Photo: Diesel)
Jillian Mercado is a fashion reporter. She has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. During her work for a fashion magazine, she met Nicola Formichetti, the artistic director for the Diesel fashion house. A few months later, she discovered that Formichetti had put out a casting call for models. For a bit of fun, she applied.
To her surprise, Mercado was among 23 models selected to represent the brand. When photographers took photos of her, she didn’t conceal her wheelchair. Mercado was worried about how people would respond when the photos were released on Instagram. To her delight, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Mercado is overjoyed about it. She wrote on her blog:
You all have no idea how speechless I am right now . . . Thank you for giving me a chance of a lifetime and believing in me. This is beyond everything. You guys that’s me!!
-via 22 Words