Having multiple health issues is no barrier for this influencer

KLANG: She may have multiple debilitating conditions, but as far as Linges Warry Apparao is concerned, life must be lived to the fullest.

The 26-year-old wheelchair user, also known as Linda Rao, not only has a full-time job, but also an online business selling cosmetics and earrings.

Linges Warry, who uses respiratory aid equipment when required, also models various products such as clothes and accessories for an agency.

“I am a very ambitious person and will not let anything stand in the way of pursuing my dreams,” said Linges Warry, who is living with nemaline rod myopathy, progressive alveolar, hyperventilation syndrome, and scoliosis.

Nemaline rod myopathy causes muscle weakness; progressive alveolar causes respiratory problems due to lung issues; hyperventilation syndrome causes episodes of rapid breathing; and scoliosis results from the spine curving sideways.

Linges Warry, who lives in Petaling Jaya with her parents and younger brother, said she can do what she wants and pursue her dreams because of her family’s support.

“I have a very strong support system and my family is always there beside me.

“My parents are very loving and even though my brother and I fight a lot, he is always there with me and for me,” she said.

Linges Warry works from home for a multinational elearning company, working in its human resources department.

She said her brother Kallieswaran, 22, is always there when she conducts live sessions on TikTok to sell her products.

She said he does most of the talking and when viewers tell Linges Warry to take a rest, he tells them that she is not ill and that is how it is always.

On the products she sells online, Linges Warry said she has two of her own brands – “Absolute Glam by Linda Rao” that markets cosmetic products and “Glam by Linda Rao” which retails fancy earrings.

Although she is generally a positive person, she admits that she does have “down” moments due to her disability.

“No one can be positive at all times and I do have mood swings and feelings of dejection.

“When that happens, I take a short break, give myself a pep talk and come back stronger,” she said.Linges Warry’s mother T. Paidithalammah, 51, said there was a stage in her daughter’s life when she had refused to leave their home.

“Whenever we went out, there would be many questions about her condition and some people would offer unsolicited advice on what we should have done when she was a child,” she added.

She said some people even went as far as suggesting that she had neglected her daughter.

“Their words hurt us all very much and my daughter had refused to leave home other than going to school and later college.

“But somehow, she changed when she was about 19 and started going out and pursuing her ambition,” said Paidithalammah.

She added she was proud of Linges Warry and what she has achieved thus far, despite the odds stacked against her.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/26/modelling-against-the-odds