Running with a stammering pride flag

Cynthia Dacillo talks about her idea for raising stammering awareness in a different way.

My name is Cynthia, I'm a Peruvian speech & language therapist and I'm passionate about stammering. I currently live in London and I've been studying for a Masters degree in psychology, which I finally finished this September.

Coming to the UK has been a huge step in my life and when I first arrived I lived in Leeds, where I met some people from the stammering community. During conversations with them and my husband, an idea about running with a stammering pride flag emerged. If you're not familiar with the flag, it was launched in 2022 by an international collective so that people could celebrate their speech differences (see our news article 'Making Waves: A Stammering Pride Flag).

• Read more about the 'Stammering Pride' movement.

My husband decided to run with the flag at the former rugby player Rob Burrow's Leeds Marathon earlier this May. Was my husband the first person to run with a stammering pride flag? I guess he was! I thought this was a very nice and gentle gesture because he doesn't stammer but he's an excellent ally who cares about people who do.

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Cynthia's husband running with the stammering pride flag

Some people noticed it and shouted, "Come on, stammering!". What a good way to raise awareness while doing exercise at the same time.

So, on 14th May 2023, he wore the flag as a cape, spreading awareness. While running, he noticed some surprised and confused gestures from some of the people in the crowd. They were wondering "What country is that runner from?". Before the race, we added a sign on his back saying 'Stammering Pride Flag'. Some people noticed it and shouted, "Come on, stammering!". What a good way to raise awareness while doing exercise at the same time. I was very grateful to him for doing this for the stammering community.

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Cynthia with the 'Stammering Pride' sign on her back

After that amazing day, I decided to run with a stammering pride flag too. Am I the second person to do it? Maybe I am. Oh Gosh. I wanted to be the first! I ran the Great North Run, the largest half-marathon in the world, with 60,000 other participants. What a great opportunity to spread awareness among such a big number. At most, runners typically bring two or more family members and/or friends; that means that there were at least 120,000 chances for people to see that beautiful flag. I think being surrounded by so many people encouraged me to do it.

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Cynthia running for STAMMA with the stammering pride flag

It was very challenging, running with some extra weight, but it was also extra motivation. Every time I wanted to stop I remembered why I was running and the flag pushed me through the 13.2 miles. Some people cheered me on and shouted, "Stammering!" and I felt encouraged listening to that single but important word.

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One lovely friend told me that maybe that extra weight that I carried while running symbolised the challenges many people who stammer encounter on their journeys. 

In both races, it wasn't only stammering that was being seen and represented in a flag, it was stammering pride. As an ally, my wish is to help create a society that understands, respects and values stammered voices. My responsibility goes beyond the therapy room. As a person who does not stammer, I have learned a lot from the experiences of people who do and that helps me evolve and grow as a professional but more importantly, as a human being.

One lovely friend told me that maybe that extra weight that I carried while running symbolised the challenges many people who stammer encounter on their journeys and I believe it is true. Another friend asked me: "If you don't stammer and you don't have a family member who stammers, I don't understand what motivated you to do that". Well, I did it because of you and so many people who haven't yet found their voices. I did it for a parent who is worried about his child. I did it for a student who is bullied, I did it because we need more awareness. I did it because I can!

I am not the fastest. I began running two and a half years ago and it takes a lot of effort, but the stammering pride flag gave me a perfect reason to do it. I believe there are many ways to spread awareness and running with a stammering pride flag is just one of them.

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