BY DC CUEVA
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| Twitter @DamionG_ |
On Thanksgiving three years ago, we told the story of the friendship of Challenger Johnny Bananas and #1 fan & cancer survivor Kasey Harvey, offering a different & emotional layer to one of the most-talked-about stories in recent reality history in what happened at the end of his sixth & most recent finals win just months a few months earlier. Similar stories that have likely shed a tear in your eye have also been offered here that add a human element to these people: a much-maligned Atlanta girl helping save the life of a homeless man in her hometown, a member of the current Ex On The Beach cast giving his first soccer trophy to a terminally-ill superhero in the last months of his battle against cancer, and many others.
This latest story now adds to that list of those that can be described as bigger than TV, and one whose roots can be traced to the city that hosted this summer's return of The Real World when it aired for the first time on a non-MTV platform when it streamed exclusively on Facebook. One of the subjects was on that Real World season when the show returned to its roots of featuring seven strangers who were also socially conscious. The other person in this story lives in North Georgia... and it's the backstory of the ladder that is so remarkable that it attracted plenty of attention for those in need for some comfort food in the tense times we are in now. And it was just last month that they crossed paths, and reminded us that there are things in our world that make us smile and give us hope... meet the extraordinary young man named Damion Gross.
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| Damion & his family (ABC) |
The caption of video read, "Hey Instagram my name is Damion Gross and suffer from a disability called cerebral palsy the reason why I am making this post is because I want to show people that’s it’s okay to be yourself ❤️ I want to show people that it’s okay to be different be that’s what makes you special self love is important ‼️ always stay true to yourself no matter what you should’ve have to change yourself for anybody and if that’s the case that means that person is not for you Never be afraid or ashamed to be yourself!! There will always be haters and doubters but they will forever be outnumbered by people who stand beside you and lift you up! ❤"
Since he was a child growing up in Washington, D.C., Damion has been suffering from the permanent movement disorder known as cerebral palsy, where weak and stiff muscles, poor coordination, tremors and problems with the five senses are common with people suffering from the disease like him. When he was 5 years old, Gross' mom saw that he was unlike his siblings in that he didn't sit at the dinner table or crawled on the ground. And when they went for a doctor's visit not only did they discover that he had CP, but they were also told that he would never walk and would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
After that, Damion went to elementary and junior high school, and found that life with a disability would be as tough as anything -- something so many people can relate to in being different from everyone else in their school. He was bullied for having this condition, and went through a period of depression during this time... and it got to tough that, at one point, he began to have thoughts about taking his own life, before considering otherwise. And as he told ABC's Good Morning America, "I didn't have tough skin and it would always get to me at the end of the day, it's just words. I'm not going to let anybody take my life just because they said something mean."
Damion's two-paragraph Medium post made it clear that he wouldn't stop without his story would be heard, and he added, "The reason why I am sharing my story is because I want to show people that’s it’s okay to be yourself. I want to show people that it’s okay to be different be that’s what makes you special. Even if you don’t have a disability you can still not be comfortable with yourself, I want you all to accept your flaws because that what makes you beautiful please don’t hide anymore, you’ll feel better once you accept your flaws and come out being yourself."
Him sharing his first two Insta videos coincided with National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month where, as he captioned below, "I have to speak π£up for the ones who are afraid to live their truth ππΎ please like comment and share this, I will continue to inspire you all, I hope this will help you gain the confidence I have."
Four months later in late July, Damion began to get noticed by the digital universe, and he made an almost-instant impact in offering a voice to those who are living with disabilities through content that's honest and sincere, and providing some inspiration to those everywhere.
In a video he posted on his YouTube channel and Twitter & Instagram accounts, he got to share his thoughts on what is his biggest insecurity: his feet & his toes. It was when trolls left rude comments about them that he began to go off on the haters, as Gross responded to them, "It's just been getting to me because that's just a big, big insecurity of mine. It's already tough enough, you know, putting myself out online, showing myself to the world. I don't care if you talk about my disability, but when you come for my toes ... it's a really, really big insecurity of mine. Every time I refresh my feed or my page, somebody is talking about it, and I would really appreciate it if y'all would stop."
One person who came to the rescue for Damion was CNN's Chief White House Corespondent Jake Tapper, who took a break from covering the ongoing Presidential circus to tweet to him, "Damion — anyone picking on you is a jerk and should be muted or blocked immediately. Lots of people come on twitter because they’re so miserable, the only way they can feel good about themselves is to be mean. It’s strange, I know. But don’t let it get you down! You rock!!!" And many more joined him to express their support for Damion, with LGBT activist Brian Sims tweeting to him, "What a strong person you are! The strength and character you’re showing here won’t just help people learn to be better, it’ll help others learn to speak up and be strong, too. Thank you, @DamionG_."
More than a week later in August came something even more remarkable: two amazing moments of inspiration. First, Gross got to perform something that is standard for everyone working out but hard that was so hard for him until he did: doing ten push-ups that's garnered nearly 350,000 Instagram likes. And then on vacation in Florida, he took on an even bigger challenge: facing his fear of the water and going swimming in a pool. This marked the first time that he ever went swimming alone by himself, with the help of an inflatable tire... otherwise he would be scared of going against this phobia because the possibility always exists that he could drown.
Him being able to roll onto his stomach and move around in the pool like top Olympic-level breaststroke swimmers do gave reason for Damion to beam, applaud himself and say, "I did it, I'm happy!" That video has garnered nearly 53,000 IG views, with one user saying, "You're so positive, everything has been going wrong all day for me but this made everything seem trivial. Keep posting man you're a beacon of positivity," while another on Twitter added, "Way to go bro!! Conquer your fears and you will have more self esteem than ever! Nice going!"
Damion wrote in the video's YouTube description, "I finally faced my fear I can't believe I actually swam on my own having Cerebral Palsy it's really hard to swim by myself usually I'll have someone help me swim but this time I wanted to do it all on my own ππΎ I'm so happy."
And earlier this month, Gross chose the YouTube platform to officially come out of the closet with the video embedded below - and again with his supporters choosing again to Stan with him as he can now live proudly not only as a voice for his fellow disabled community, but also fly the rainbow flag with that, too. And with the video's title "I’M GAY, SO WHAT! π€·πΎ♂️," that brings us to why we featured him in the first place: a link to the show that made its return to our screens this summer.
After branching out a bit in its later TV iterations, MTV's The Real World went back to its roots of the roommates living their lives and see "what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real," as well as exploring the socially-charged environment of 2019 in America through the world of these people. Real World relaunched in a half-hour form and moved to Facebook Watch, as Season 33 took place in Atlanta, which also happens to be Damion's hometown.
This summer, 25-year-old Houstonian Dondre Randolph was one of the seven strangers chosen to help reinvent The Real World for the digital age. In our bio capsule on him before the season began in June, he is a staunch Republican in a traditional GOP stronghold of Texas, and who described himself as a Trump supporter and is an advocate of the 2nd amendment even after his brother was the victim of a shooting years ago. At the same time, Dondre is pansexual, and was just beginning his journey of coming out and revealing that he's gay to both family and friends... all while encountering life of being Black in America.
When he first met his roommates, it didn't take long for Dondre to confront Mexican-American Arely Avitua about her status as a Dreamer, but later he reconsidered his views on immigration once he met her undocumented mom. He then got an earful from Louisiana native and fellow conservative Meagan Melancon about her being uncomfortable around gays such as him... which also struck a cord with Black activist Justin Blu. He and the roommates also went to a local memorial for Nipsey Hussle, a body-positive symposium with Yasmin Almokhamad, and attended a protest of Georgia's abortion law, for which Dondre is pro-life. There was also the tension Dondre had with Midwest country boy Clint Wright, one of the many instances of bad behavior for the one chosen to be in the RW house including when, after his girl Tovah Marx took a pregnancy test, he actually stuck his hand into the trashcan and pulled that kit out much to everyone's shock.
Earlier on, the roommates thought Dondre would become the house's pot-stirrer, but luckily that did not become as big a deal when the roommates bid farewell to the American South at summer's end. And when Facebook Groups' Real World page asked "Which Real World roomie has changed the most over the course of the season?", Dondre was chosen by Brie E. because as she posted, "Even though he was an outspoken conservative he really opened his mind to a lot and allowed himself to see things from another perspective even though he was so determined to prove his points he ended up being the one to open his mind to the most."
Towards the end of his stay in Atlanta, Dondre got to explore the city's gay dating scene, though the lone date he went on that made it onto an episode during the season did not turn out well as he hoped. But after The Real World Atlanta's season finale was streamed on Labor Day weekend, the one who described himself in his social media bio as "The most compassionate (explicitive) you'll ever meet" had the opportunity to help Damion fulfill another item on his to-do list.
With the exposure of 66,000 Twitter followers, another 53,000 on Instagram and his increasing YouTube subscriber base, Damion posted the video above of him going on a date with Dondre, someone who he had an Instagram crush on, and who made him part of his very first date, something that as he described in the video when it was posted, "I was so nervous π©π."
That viral video instantly made waves on Twitter, being retweeted 4,000 times, liked by 49,000 users and garnering over 1,000 comments. Damion wrote, "I’m so happy he didn’t judge me he didn’t care about my disability he actual wants to get to know me as a person ☺️ I’m tryna figure out why everyone is so shocked we went on a date? π€·πΎ♂️ y’all must thought I couldn’t pull him π"
And when he reposted the 7-second clip of his date with Dondre on Instagram last week, Gross wrote the following:
INSTAGRAM @its.damiong
The day after that date, Damion posted videos on YouTube and Twitter offering his thoughts on his first ever date with anyone, no less someone from an MTV-produced show for the world's largest social networking community. He wrote in its Twitter caption, "Y’all don’t understand how happy I am I’ve been someone to take me serious for a long time now and for someone to really get to know me as a person this date was such an eye opener for me that really showed me that everyone isn’t judgmental."
Comments below from the Twitter sphere once again pledged their support for Gross: one saying, "Dear dont allow ure handicap to stop u from being the beautiful person you are I follow you because I seen a handsome determined young man who confirm 3 me its ok to be different.π," while another wrote, "A disability does not define you - we all have them...Small and large challenges. I don’t see a disabled person.. i see a handsome, brave young man who gives love and is loved in return. π," and a third telling him, "You're an amazing and inspiring young man. You've touch and encouraged so many (including me). My hope for you, is that whatever your heart desires will be be granted ππ½"
Summer 2019 has seen the African-American LGBT community make quite a mark: While his song "Old Town Road" made its unlikely rise to becoming the longest-running #1 track in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, Lil Nas X became the first artist with America's top song - rap or otherwise - to come out. The first such person to appear on a reality series, Real World and Challenge alum Karamo Brown, continued his rise in prominence as part of the Fab Five of Netflix's Queer Eye and this week put on his dancing shoes on a new season of Dancing with the Stars. And fellow Netflix series Orange Is the New Black wrapped up its run this summer, where one of its stars, Laverne Cox, is a pioneer as U.S. TV's first openly transgender woman on a major series.
It may have the strong impact of these three stories when one looks back on this summer, but we now have a better understanding of the struggles those who suffer from cerebral palsy go through, thanks to Damion Gross shining a light on that crippling condition. He's helped to fuel the dialogue and change the conversation about those living with disabilities, while becoming an influencer, aspiring model and a source of inspiration for many along the way in the past few months... including partnering with a small fashion brand. He has proved the old saying that anything is possible, but also Damion is also living proof that, even when you are not ordinary like everyone else, you still have a right to still be yourself... he has proven that and then some. That's why he is so special.
Stories like the one you've seen is presented under the banner of ExtraTime - DCBLOG's way of highlighting the shows you love and the people who star in them, and the focusing on the stories of this world that often get overshadowed by all the drama on TV and off camera. These original stories are a key aspect to our MTV Reality coverage, which also includes weekly episode posts and social reaction, and much more. If you've enjoyed what you've just read here, bookmark this site and like, comment and share our posts on the social media platforms of your choice, and include the hashtags #DCBLOG and #SeeForYourself in your posts... and thank you for reading.
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
Since he was a child growing up in Washington, D.C., Damion has been suffering from the permanent movement disorder known as cerebral palsy, where weak and stiff muscles, poor coordination, tremors and problems with the five senses are common with people suffering from the disease like him. When he was 5 years old, Gross' mom saw that he was unlike his siblings in that he didn't sit at the dinner table or crawled on the ground. And when they went for a doctor's visit not only did they discover that he had CP, but they were also told that he would never walk and would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
After that, Damion went to elementary and junior high school, and found that life with a disability would be as tough as anything -- something so many people can relate to in being different from everyone else in their school. He was bullied for having this condition, and went through a period of depression during this time... and it got to tough that, at one point, he began to have thoughts about taking his own life, before considering otherwise. And as he told ABC's Good Morning America, "I didn't have tough skin and it would always get to me at the end of the day, it's just words. I'm not going to let anybody take my life just because they said something mean."
Damion's two-paragraph Medium post made it clear that he wouldn't stop without his story would be heard, and he added, "The reason why I am sharing my story is because I want to show people that’s it’s okay to be yourself. I want to show people that it’s okay to be different be that’s what makes you special. Even if you don’t have a disability you can still not be comfortable with yourself, I want you all to accept your flaws because that what makes you beautiful please don’t hide anymore, you’ll feel better once you accept your flaws and come out being yourself."
Him sharing his first two Insta videos coincided with National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month where, as he captioned below, "I have to speak π£up for the ones who are afraid to live their truth ππΎ please like comment and share this, I will continue to inspire you all, I hope this will help you gain the confidence I have."
 |
| (Yahoo! News) |
In a video he posted on his YouTube channel and Twitter & Instagram accounts, he got to share his thoughts on what is his biggest insecurity: his feet & his toes. It was when trolls left rude comments about them that he began to go off on the haters, as Gross responded to them, "It's just been getting to me because that's just a big, big insecurity of mine. It's already tough enough, you know, putting myself out online, showing myself to the world. I don't care if you talk about my disability, but when you come for my toes ... it's a really, really big insecurity of mine. Every time I refresh my feed or my page, somebody is talking about it, and I would really appreciate it if y'all would stop."
One person who came to the rescue for Damion was CNN's Chief White House Corespondent Jake Tapper, who took a break from covering the ongoing Presidential circus to tweet to him, "Damion — anyone picking on you is a jerk and should be muted or blocked immediately. Lots of people come on twitter because they’re so miserable, the only way they can feel good about themselves is to be mean. It’s strange, I know. But don’t let it get you down! You rock!!!" And many more joined him to express their support for Damion, with LGBT activist Brian Sims tweeting to him, "What a strong person you are! The strength and character you’re showing here won’t just help people learn to be better, it’ll help others learn to speak up and be strong, too. Thank you, @DamionG_."
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| Daily Mail UK |
Him being able to roll onto his stomach and move around in the pool like top Olympic-level breaststroke swimmers do gave reason for Damion to beam, applaud himself and say, "I did it, I'm happy!" That video has garnered nearly 53,000 IG views, with one user saying, "You're so positive, everything has been going wrong all day for me but this made everything seem trivial. Keep posting man you're a beacon of positivity," while another on Twitter added, "Way to go bro!! Conquer your fears and you will have more self esteem than ever! Nice going!"
Damion wrote in the video's YouTube description, "I finally faced my fear I can't believe I actually swam on my own having Cerebral Palsy it's really hard to swim by myself usually I'll have someone help me swim but this time I wanted to do it all on my own ππΎ I'm so happy."
And earlier this month, Gross chose the YouTube platform to officially come out of the closet with the video embedded below - and again with his supporters choosing again to Stan with him as he can now live proudly not only as a voice for his fellow disabled community, but also fly the rainbow flag with that, too. And with the video's title "I’M GAY, SO WHAT! π€·πΎ♂️," that brings us to why we featured him in the first place: a link to the show that made its return to our screens this summer.
 |
| IG @DearDondre |
This summer, 25-year-old Houstonian Dondre Randolph was one of the seven strangers chosen to help reinvent The Real World for the digital age. In our bio capsule on him before the season began in June, he is a staunch Republican in a traditional GOP stronghold of Texas, and who described himself as a Trump supporter and is an advocate of the 2nd amendment even after his brother was the victim of a shooting years ago. At the same time, Dondre is pansexual, and was just beginning his journey of coming out and revealing that he's gay to both family and friends... all while encountering life of being Black in America.
When he first met his roommates, it didn't take long for Dondre to confront Mexican-American Arely Avitua about her status as a Dreamer, but later he reconsidered his views on immigration once he met her undocumented mom. He then got an earful from Louisiana native and fellow conservative Meagan Melancon about her being uncomfortable around gays such as him... which also struck a cord with Black activist Justin Blu. He and the roommates also went to a local memorial for Nipsey Hussle, a body-positive symposium with Yasmin Almokhamad, and attended a protest of Georgia's abortion law, for which Dondre is pro-life. There was also the tension Dondre had with Midwest country boy Clint Wright, one of the many instances of bad behavior for the one chosen to be in the RW house including when, after his girl Tovah Marx took a pregnancy test, he actually stuck his hand into the trashcan and pulled that kit out much to everyone's shock.
Earlier on, the roommates thought Dondre would become the house's pot-stirrer, but luckily that did not become as big a deal when the roommates bid farewell to the American South at summer's end. And when Facebook Groups' Real World page asked "Which Real World roomie has changed the most over the course of the season?", Dondre was chosen by Brie E. because as she posted, "Even though he was an outspoken conservative he really opened his mind to a lot and allowed himself to see things from another perspective even though he was so determined to prove his points he ended up being the one to open his mind to the most."
Towards the end of his stay in Atlanta, Dondre got to explore the city's gay dating scene, though the lone date he went on that made it onto an episode during the season did not turn out well as he hoped. But after The Real World Atlanta's season finale was streamed on Labor Day weekend, the one who described himself in his social media bio as "The most compassionate (explicitive) you'll ever meet" had the opportunity to help Damion fulfill another item on his to-do list.
My first date I was so nervous π©π pic.twitter.com/viJmVwHD7F— ππΆππΎβ΄π (@DamionG_) September 1, 2019
With the exposure of 66,000 Twitter followers, another 53,000 on Instagram and his increasing YouTube subscriber base, Damion posted the video above of him going on a date with Dondre, someone who he had an Instagram crush on, and who made him part of his very first date, something that as he described in the video when it was posted, "I was so nervous π©π."
That viral video instantly made waves on Twitter, being retweeted 4,000 times, liked by 49,000 users and garnering over 1,000 comments. Damion wrote, "I’m so happy he didn’t judge me he didn’t care about my disability he actual wants to get to know me as a person ☺️ I’m tryna figure out why everyone is so shocked we went on a date? π€·πΎ♂️ y’all must thought I couldn’t pull him π"
And when he reposted the 7-second clip of his date with Dondre on Instagram last week, Gross wrote the following:
INSTAGRAM @its.damiong
"I was very hesitant about post this because I was afraid about getting judged but I don’t care anymore I gotta stop letting people opinions dictate what I do so with that being said yes I went on a date with a guy so what? π€·πΎ♂️so if you don’t agree with how I’m living life you can gladly unfollow me ππΎ y’all have understand, growing up having a disability was hard sometimes because people judged me off rip they never gave me a chance to open up and tell my story I never went on dates prior to this because some people just never found me attractive simply because of my my disability π that really brought a lot of insecurities in my life because I know I’m not ugly but once I saw and heard people keep saying “I don’t wanna date you because of your disability” that really made me feel ugly tbh @deardondre really changed my outlook on whole “dating” scene and I will forever respect him for that because he doesn’t care that I have a disability when he looks at me he sees a strong black man living in he’s truth, I was really nervous this day because this was my first real date and I didn’t want anything to go wrong but clearly everything went smoothly he’s so nice and genuine mannn π© I remember when were on our way to the restaurant I fell going down a hill I was sooo embarrassed π€¦πΎ♂️ but he didn’t laugh or anything, he helped me up and said “it’s okay everybody falls” so that’s when I knew he was a good one, if your Disabled and you’re scared to go out on dates I say just go over it and stop overthinking it you’ll have so much fun!!! Thank you so much @deardondre for not judging me and allowing me to speak my truth to you π I hope our friendship continue to grow strong because you are a angel, can’t wait until we link again π"
The day after that date, Damion posted videos on YouTube and Twitter offering his thoughts on his first ever date with anyone, no less someone from an MTV-produced show for the world's largest social networking community. He wrote in its Twitter caption, "Y’all don’t understand how happy I am I’ve been someone to take me serious for a long time now and for someone to really get to know me as a person this date was such an eye opener for me that really showed me that everyone isn’t judgmental."
Comments below from the Twitter sphere once again pledged their support for Gross: one saying, "Dear dont allow ure handicap to stop u from being the beautiful person you are I follow you because I seen a handsome determined young man who confirm 3 me its ok to be different.π," while another wrote, "A disability does not define you - we all have them...Small and large challenges. I don’t see a disabled person.. i see a handsome, brave young man who gives love and is loved in return. π," and a third telling him, "You're an amazing and inspiring young man. You've touch and encouraged so many (including me). My hope for you, is that whatever your heart desires will be be granted ππ½"
Y’all don’t understand how happy I am I’ve been someone to take me serious for a long time now and for someone to really get to know me as a person this date was such an eye opener for me that really showed me that everyone isn’t judgmental pic.twitter.com/nesFewR9gz— ππΆππΎβ΄π π€΄πΎ (@DamionG_) September 2, 2019
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| Twitter @DamionG_ |
It may have the strong impact of these three stories when one looks back on this summer, but we now have a better understanding of the struggles those who suffer from cerebral palsy go through, thanks to Damion Gross shining a light on that crippling condition. He's helped to fuel the dialogue and change the conversation about those living with disabilities, while becoming an influencer, aspiring model and a source of inspiration for many along the way in the past few months... including partnering with a small fashion brand. He has proved the old saying that anything is possible, but also Damion is also living proof that, even when you are not ordinary like everyone else, you still have a right to still be yourself... he has proven that and then some. That's why he is so special.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Stories like the one you've seen is presented under the banner of ExtraTime - DCBLOG's way of highlighting the shows you love and the people who star in them, and the focusing on the stories of this world that often get overshadowed by all the drama on TV and off camera. These original stories are a key aspect to our MTV Reality coverage, which also includes weekly episode posts and social reaction, and much more. If you've enjoyed what you've just read here, bookmark this site and like, comment and share our posts on the social media platforms of your choice, and include the hashtags #DCBLOG and #SeeForYourself in your posts... and thank you for reading.
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
