Longing for the Sky
“But the bird fly! I want jump off the roof!” My 3-year-old mind believed this totally. I stamped my tiny shoe. I had made up my mind and I was ready to take action. My mom had discovered some old feather dusters as she…
Little Victories - a Column by Matthew 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.Checking Up on My Heart’s Health
“The heart really is an amazing machine,” the technician mused in the dim examination room. I was shirtless on the sterile white bed with seven wires attached to my chest. The wires were connected to a sonogram, which had a screen showing black-and-white images of my…
Physical Therapy: A Lesson in Little Victories and FA
“I think you got this,” Dr. Landreneau told me. I didn’t know how to respond, and I was too worn out to, anyway. I graciously sipped through the straw in the cup of water he held for me, and silently accepted the two fun-size bars of…
Finding a New Endeavor: Writing a Children’s Book About Rare Diagnoses
The day I got my big idea, I received a package in the mail. Other than that, it was an average, unremarkable Tuesday. Speaking of unremarkable, the package itself was just that — a thin, brown, rectangle of fraying cardboard, about the size of a throw…
‘The Lion King’ and the Circle of Life with FA
My mom took me and my 10-year-old nephew Andrew with her to the movie, probably because we were the only members of our family who wanted to see the 2019 remake of Disney’s “The Lion King.” Andrew wanted to see it because, well,…
The Zeego Tales: Naming the Hurricane
“The Zeego Tales” track the wonders of my new life with my service dog, Zeego. “Hurricane Barry” sounded innocent enough — more like a goofy uncle than a scary predator. After making landfall in Louisiana, the hurricane was renamed a tropical storm, which is what reached my…
FA Allows Me to See Underwater and Face Its Uncomfortable Elements
“I’d give all of my degrees to write as powerfully as Melville,” Dr. Cicardo mused. She had read a passage from “Moby-Dick; or, The Whale“ aloud to her small college class. She reminded me of a proud songbird who recognizes the beauty…
Living By the Book: I Can Pursue the Joy of Reading in a Wheelchair
My unease kept growing on the first day of this evening class during my third semester of college. The professor hadn’t shown up yet, so we were a small group of seven or so students sitting around a long table in a small classroom in Griffen Hall, the…
A Postcard from the Island of Misfit Toys
Finding a job when you are disabled is challenging. The search leads to frustration, and in my case, shame. I couldn’t find a position, even with decent grades from college and grad school. I sent out hundreds of résumés, attended dozens of job interviews, and moved…
Battling Like Sisyphus
An online friend recently commented that living with FA is a “Sisyphean dream.” I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that. At first glance, the idea seems futile, nihilistic, and ultimately negative. However, I didn’t take it that way. Through the…
Recent Posts
- Schrödinger’s Matt: FA makes me feel like I exist in multiple realities
- Skyclarys reduces inflammation marker in adults with FA
- Community and peer support is important for our mental health
- Toward a new understanding of positivity and hope
- New tool tracks hidden symptoms in people with Friedreich’s ataxia