Sarah Metcalfe, who suffers from fibromyalgia, used a disable parking space in an effort to limit the walk from her car to a supermarket, but it appears the mum's decision incurred the wrath of an onlooker who decided to out pen to paper and voice their thoughts on Sarah's choice of parking space.
The mum, whose condition leaves her in chronic pain, was concerned that she would not make it to the store if she didn't utilise the disabled bay, but was devastated to return and find a note which read: "Being fat and ugly doesn't count as disabled - park elsewhere."
Horrified by the way his mother was treated by an anonymous stranger, Sarah's 13-year-old son, Jack, was reduced to tears as Sarah struggled with her own upset.
Opening up about the devastating incident, the PhD student said: "Now that I've calmed down I would still like to speak to the cowardly person behind the note to explain how not all disabilities are visible."
Sarah, who developed the condition after suffering a serious head injury five years ago, condemned the individual responsible for the cruel note, saying: "We were both left absolutely heartbroken to find the note, it left us both in tears. Then our hurt turned to anger."
Urging the individual responsible to come forward so that Sarah can educate them on 'invisible disabilities', the York University student, who is waiting to have her Blue Badge application processed, said: "Not every disability is visible. Just because I'm not in a wheelchair doesn't mean I'm not disabled."
Justifying her decision to use the disabled bay on this occasion, Sarah said: "I wouldn't have been able to go in if I hadn't used it - my ankles had become so weak that I was worried I'd go over on them. But I was enjoying a day out with my son so was determined to make it in."
Explaining that she had not been required to provide a Blue Badge in order to use the bay, Sarah acknowledged that she had made a judgement call and decided that it was necessary, but did not expect the abuse she received, saying: "I consider myself quite a strong person, but this could have gone on someone's car who couldn't handle such nasty personal abuse. Whoever did it, didn't think about the terrible effect it could have had on someone."
