From McDonald’s to art school, MN woman not letting disability hold her back
CHISAGO CITY, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Chisago City, Minn. McDonald's employee is flipping burgers and preconceptions. Marcy Nelson has lived with one arm for most of her life, but she's making people see past her disability.
McDonald's worker's art
The backstory: Marcy Nelson learned to roll burritos as a teen, and she’s rolled with the punches since the age of 2.
"I was in an accident, and they had to amputate my arm," said Nelson.
A disability could come at the cost of efficiency when you work at a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s, or so her bosses thought.
"I'll admit, on her first day I was a little skeptical," said McDonald's operations supervisor Mike Phillips. "I thought this is going to be a little interesting."
What to know: But Marcy more than pulls her weight with one arm and uses her head to excel on the job. And she writes entertaining menu updates for her co-workers. But these breakroom white board doodles are just the tip of the iceberg lettuce.
Marcy’s also a burgeoning artist with a popular Instagram collection of drawings, including a life-changing self-portrait.
"For those who don't know," the post reads. "Hi, I'm Marcy. I've been sitting on this drawing for weeks. Too scared to finish it."
Scared to reveal who she truly is. "I'm trans and I'm also bi, so I'm queer and I'm also disabled."
Becoming an artist
What's next: All of these elements inform her artwork. She’s now studying at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design with help from a McDonald’s scholarship. If she could draw up her future today, she’d leave behind the drive-through, with her boss’ support.
"She could do anything," said Phillips.
She’d love a career in animation, producing stories better representing people like her. "Especially with like disabilities, they're typically shown to like have a cure and you don't really have a cure for a disability. You just kind of live with it and get around it," she added.
She’s lived with it long enough that she’s ready to put the gloves on for a tough fight breaking into the art world.
"I know it's competitive. But I know it just takes one hand and a pencil,"Marcy concludes.