Kendall Harvey is a wife and mother of two in Austin, Texas. She has been navigating life with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) since her diagnosis in 2013 at the age of 25. She worked in marketing before “retiring” to be a stay-at-home-mom. She is an optimistic warrior fighting for a better future free of FA. Until that day comes, she aspires to inspire others with her column by detailing personal life lessons about grit and grace. Kendall shares a message of hope despite disability.So much of living with a progressive, lifelong disease like Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is mentally processing and accepting the physical changes it brings. But with the widespread degeneration of my body and the…
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May is always a hectic month for my family. With school functions and class parties, youth sports, birthdays, Mother’s Day, and the approach of summer, life moves quickly this time of year. While part…
As I adapt to this new stage of my Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) symptom progression — being 99% dependent on seated mobility aids when I’m away from the comfort and adaptive safety measures I…
Taking the good with the bad is a hard lesson to learn, but I’m realizing it’s imperative for approaching a healthy mindset when living with a steadily progressing disability. Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is…
It’s been a wild and busy season for my family. Springtime in my household is usually eventful because it’s filled with things that we all enjoy, and most days, I wouldn’t have it any…
As I’ve often discussed, there is no handbook for living with a progressively degenerative condition like Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). However, there are good general rules of thumb that everyone can follow, such as…
As we navigate life, I think we’ve all felt, said, or at least heard the common saying “It’s always something.” I find myself saying that as a somewhat sarcastic self-challenge, meaning I still need…
This year, my family and I decided to take a road trip from Austin, Texas, to two national parks in New Mexico during my elementary-age children’s spring break. It involved about 20 hours of…
There’s a lot that comes with the territory of having a visible disability, especially if you choose to live your life out loud rather than hide. I never imagined I’d have to make that…
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