Dr Héctor García Caballero, Mexico

My name is Héctor Manuel García Caballero and I am 44-year-old retired veterinary surgeon. I was born in Mexico City but for the past three years I have lived in Cuernavaca, Morelos. I am married with a young son.

I have had MS since 1983 and my diagnosis was confirmed after a relapse in 1989. Almost 15 years ago what began as relapse-remitting MS developed into secondary progressive MS.

I continued my work treating animals for as long as I could, initially supporting myself with a walking stick, then a walker and finally, in 2000, a wheelchair. It was only when my hands lost their strength and coordination that I retired.

I have dedicated more than 20 years of my life studying this debilitating disease and in 2005, together with my wife; I began an online blog to share my stories and experiences.

The desire to share the knowledge and experience I had accrued throughout 25 years of living with MS also led to the foundation of the MS association Zoe in Morelos in May 2007. A lack of financial and human resources has meant that I have not yet been able to achieve all the aims I had for the group but it has formed a point of contact and online community for people with MS and their families.

When attending a meeting for people with disabilities in Mexico City, my attention was drawn to the Federal District's Human Rights Commission. I began to work in the field focusing on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The first campaign entitled Do you want to be in my place? was aimed at making people aware of the facilities needed to accommodate people with disabilities in public spaces. The second is an electronic forum about sexuality and disability.