Justine Van Den Borne is a mother from Melbourne, Australia who recently decided to take her daughter on a shopping trip, so they jumped in her car and headed to the mall. They parked in a handicapped spot as they always do and headed out for a day of fun together, and they got some unusual stares as they left their vehicle from people who had no idea what was really going on with Justine behind the scenes.

Those who look at Justine have no idea that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (also called MS) at the age of 35, and it’s a condition that she has to deal with every single day. While some days are better than others, Justine’s symptoms include numb and tingling limbs, vision loss, extreme fatigue, and occasional slurred speech. To make things easier for her, she obtained a handicapped parking pass from the government.

On the day she went shopping with her daughter, Justine said she was having a “good day,” meaning that her symptoms were not that bad. She was doing so well that she was able to shop with her daughter like every “normal” mom, with no wheelchairs, help with walking or guidance.

All was going well until Justine and her daughter returned to her car and saw a note that read, “Did you forget your wheelchair???”

Clearly, a stranger had looked at Justine and taken it upon themselves to judge her as healthy, having no idea what she goes through every day. Justine decided to respond to the note in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.

“To person that left this on my car last week at Mitcham Shopping Centre – I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 35,” Justine wrote. “Not just MS but the worst one that never goes away and is slowly crippling my life.”

“My kids have had to deal with things that kids shouldn’t ever have to deal with and all of our futures are forever changed,” she continued. “On the day you saw me I was having a good day, I was walking with my daughter, unaided, having a nice day. Thank you for ruining that.”

Justine added:

“You made me feel like people were looking at me, the exact way I feel when I can’t walk properly. I am sick of people like yourself abusing me on my good days for using a facility I am entitled to. A disability doesn’t always mean a person has to be wheelchair bound but lucky for you I one day will be.”

“Right now my focus is to walk into my best friends wedding next September and not have to be pushed. I will be 42. Before you ruin another person’s day remember you don’t know everything and just because you can’t see it it doesn’t mean a person isn’t struggling to put one foot in front of the other.”

We could all learn a lot from Justine’s post. Until we walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, we have no idea what they are really going through. God bless you, Justine, and thank you for going public with your story!