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A woman simply minding her business as she was doing some grocery shopping was stunned after a fellow shopper knocked on her car window and demanded to know why she was using a wheelchair. When the woman explained that she has POTS and sometimes relies on a wheelchair to get around, the man was not satisfied with her explanation, accusing her of faking her condition.

A man knocked on a woman’s car window to call her a ‘faker’ after seeing her load her wheelchair into her car unassisted.

After wrapping up a grocery shopping trip, Kirsten (@lil_tachy) had an unexpected visitor approach her car window. She recorded the tense interaction between her and the stranger who demanded to know why she was using a wheelchair, but was able to get up and load it into her car unassisted.

“Is there a problem?” Kirsten politely asked the rude stranger, who was off-camera. He asked her why she needed a wheelchair since she could “obviously walk.” Not that she owed him any explanation, whatsoever, Kirsten explained that she has a condition known as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS. It is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system where a person’s heart rate abnormally increases when they stand up. This can cause dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, and even fainting when one stands for long periods of time.

These symptoms can make it difficult to walk long distances without feeling faint, and some POTS patients opt to use a wheelchair when they’re out in public. Kirsten is one of those patients.

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Although she owed him no explanation, the woman calmly told the man she had a condition known as POTS that made using a wheelchair necessary in certain circumstances.

“I’ve had POTS for 7 years now and most of the time, I don’t need a wheelchair, but there are times where I can’t get around without one,” she shared in the caption of her video. “I went through a four month long flare where I couldn’t leave the house at all unless I was in a wheelchair, and I’m just now starting to come out of that flare” Still, even on days when she uses her wheelchair to get around and run her errands she is still able to load the chair on her own.

Despite the fact that Kirsten was not parked in a disabled parking spot or blocking the man’s car in any way, he still had an issue with her explanation for needing the wheelchair. “I can’t help the fact that you smoke pot and you’re confused that you can’t walk,” he said, obviously completely misunderstanding what Kirsten meant when she told him about her POTS. “You’re probably just one of those fakers. You obviously can walk. You don’t need a wheelchair.”

He added that he believed that Kirsten was faking her condition so that she could get disability accommodations.“You people anger me,” he said before walking away, leaving Kirsten flabbergasted. She couldn’t help but laugh at the stranger’s absurd claims.

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Commenters were also shaken by the stranger’s complete ignorance of illness and disabilities.

“Stop talking to these people. You owe no one an explanation,” one TikTok user commented. “As an amputee…missing a leg…I’ve had this same conversation with others,” another shared. “I hope he discovers the joy of chronic illness,” another wrote. Not all disabilities are visible. Even those who are able to walk and appear to have perfectly functioning legs still need a wheelchair for reasons we may not understand, but should respect.

While someone with POTS may easily be able to walk without wheelchair assistance, others may experience more severe symptoms. The British Journal of Cardiology reported that 23% of patients with POTS use wheelchairs. 37% report they are unable to work, and 5% are completely bedbound.

Mikhail Nilov | Pexels

No matter how people may manage their disabilities, it is no one else’s business. If you see someone who appears to be able-bodied using a wheelchair, it is not your place to question them. When it comes to other people’s bodies, it’s best to mind your own business.

Disabled people, just like the able-bodied, come in all shapes and sizes. Some are young and some aren’t. Some have partial mobility, and some have no mobility. The ONLY time you can ask a person such invasive questions about their physicality is if you are a doctor and the person you are questioning is your patient.

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Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.