It doesn’t make sense to be this fragile, I thought, as my stomach dropped and I…
Matt Lafleur
Matthew's life doesn’t look like what he imagined when he was an active Cajun boy. Once diagnosed at age 11 with Friedreich’s ataxia, he threw himself into books, writing, and studies, achieving a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in mental health counseling. Writing a column at Friedreich’s Ataxia News and serving as the associate director of columns for its parent company BioNews is a perfect combination of his two degrees. He notes life’s small, often overlooked successes in his column. In progressive disability, Matt tries to notice his little victories, hoping that others notice their own ... or something like that.
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Articles by Matt Lafleur
The day was cruelly beautiful. It was the first time I had ventured out of the house in…
About a year ago, I wrote a “Little Victories” column about the 2018 Netflix movie…
Choosing Our Own Identity
On an otherwise typical day of my self-quarantine, I careened to the side of my wheelchair and couldn’t…
Focusing on times of plenty and excess amid the COVID-19 pandemic seems foreign, or even rude. However, this…
I’m really fortunate. My life hasn’t undergone a drastic change even though I’ve rarely left my house in…
Long before COVID-19, a little girl named Eula walked to the end of the road to catch a…
It’s finally happened: the first outbreak within my parish (or “county” for you non-Louisiana folk) has been…
At my latest physical therapy appointment, I was out of my wheelchair and on the floor mats, struggling…
I Am Redefining Hope, Every Day
I was giddy that day, a month or two ago. So much so that I texted a friend,…