Welcome!

Welcome to my website and my first blog post! First let me tell you a bit about me I grew up in the an ‘80s—I couldn’t get enough of Molly Ringwald or Duran Duran. I’m originally from Wisconsin and love cheese and the Packers.

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with a genetic, progressive disability called Friedreich’s Ataxia, (FA). What is FA? It took me a while to understand and I am still learning 30 years later. FA is different in every person. Most people are diagnosed between 5 and 15, while a small percentage start having symptoms after 25 or even 60. The symptoms can include clumsiness, loss of muscle, slurred speech, and loss of motor skills. Eventually people with FA will probably use a wheelchair. The majority of people also develop heart issues.

In 2014, at 40, I received an additional diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is very similar to FA on the outside, but the mechanisms of the disease are different. I began writing as a way to work through my confusion of this new complexity in my story through telling my tales of my FA experience.

Sounds like life has been grim? Yeah, it has its moments. But it doesn’t mean life is ruined or empty. There’s still so much to do, learn, and have fun with!

Through this blog, I am hoping to mix it up—I’ll talk about my disability experience, give some references for people with disabilities, and probably throw in a few posts about dogs, friends, relationships, yoga, and my undying love for Keanu Reeves.

Thanks for being here—please come back!