Ricky Buchanan is the founder of NoPity Shirts,
and the designer/creator of virtually all of the shirt slogans and designs
on this website (exceptions are always noted on the shirt pages).
Having recently turned thirty, Ricky claims each decade of
her life has been better than the previous one and that she plans to keep
it that way. She says she has "big plants for my thirties, and no disabilities
are going to be able to stop me."
Ricky has been dealt a double-handful of chronic illnesses
and disabilities for this life. Together, these conditions manage to keep
her completely bedridden and in constant severe pain, along with literally
pages of additional nasty symptoms. Ricky works very hard to keep her spirits
up despite these challenges, and usually succeeds surprisingly well, but
is quick to point out she's no "super
crip." According to Ricky, she "[doesn't] do anything that millions
of other people with disabilities do every day. It's nothing amazingly special."
Ricky has been on the internet since
1993, and was a user of Fidonet BBS systems in the year or so before
that. She's been using computers since 1987, when the "state of the art" PC
her Dad's business purchased was a 286 model with no hard drive, just two
5 1/4 inch floppy drives! With all this exposure, Ricky's become very good
at using computers, as long as she has an adapted keyboard and mouse-substitute
to make typing easier.
Ricky's motto, and the domain name and title of her home website, is "Not
Done Living!" She says that, for her, this means she still has more things
she wants to do on this earth, and that - as far as possible - she doesn't
let stuff like being ill and disabled get in the way of doing them. Ricky
has made an enormous list of many of the things she wants to do in a list
of Lifelong Dreams which is
on her website.
Ricky is a very creative person and loves to do creative stuff in all sorts
of different ways. During her time on earth she's learned to play no less
than six musical instruments, some to a fairly accomplished level and others
just for fun. She taught herself to draw with extra-fat coloured pencils
which were easier for her to hold, and to paint with watercolours, and produced some
very nice work, sections of which a local gallery owner has plans to
exhibit soon. When her disability advanced to a point where her hands were
no longer strong enough for drawing, Ricky switched to writing and produced many
articles on all sorts of topics, including health.
Eventually, Ricky's brain impairment (also related to her disability) rendered
writing extremely difficult and time-consuming and that was when Ricky began designing
shirts. She was able to use her graphic design skills on the overall
picture and on the shirt logos, and her skill with words to create the perfect
slogan. Shirts could also be used to supplement her tiny social security
income and help pay for Ricky's large medical costs.
Ricky has
big plans for NoPity Shirts, but is happy to be patient and let it grow slowly.
"I'm
not in a hurry, and I don't want to suddenly realize one day that it's
got too big for me and I have to let it go. I want to hold on to this dream
for as long as I can."
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