Protein is necessary for the human body to stay healthy and function properly, regardless of whether you work out or not. According to the American Council on Exercise, “Protein is the principal component…
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Let the New Year’s resolutions and “fresh start” cliches pour in to overwhelm timelines and news feeds. Ringing in the new year has always been a favorite time of mine — the energy shifts. Many people, including…
With more than 7,000 known rare diseases in the world, it’s impossible to have all humans acknowledge and learn about every single one. No matter how life-threatening, debilitating, or serious a disease is, the hard…
Do you ever experience times when being social in any form is out of the question? When engaging in online or in-person conversation is draining, or when the thought of going out just seems unimaginable? It’s…
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had some good conversations with FAers and others about life. I was asked similar questions in each conversation, so I figured those topics must cross other people’s minds. Perhaps my…
It’s funny how cliches about life have started to make sense to me. From my observations of other rare disease communities, I’ve learned that when we reach a certain level of acceptance about our disease we gain…
Over the past few years, I have learned that Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) patients come to terms with their diagnoses in their own time. At first, I didn’t understand why some patients kept a distance from the FA…
Dearest Mom, I wrote this a long time ago, but I wanted to wait for a random day to show my appreciation. Not your birthday, not Mother’s Day — “just because.” At first, I couldn’t write a…
It wasn’t until a fire alarm at my hotel this past weekend that I realized the complete disregard for people with special needs in emergency preparation. I hadn’t been in an evacuation situation since before my diagnosis,…
I often have conversations with others about the mindset and positive outlook I attained while dealing with this illness. Although I realize this may be temporary and my attitude might change — as it has before…
Birthdays used to be so fun for me. Now, though, they are just reminders that this disease is taking over my physicality slowly. While I have a positive attitude most of the time, I can’t help…
Last month was Mental Health Awareness Month, so I thought this might be a good time to discuss this issue head-on. Some days can be harder — way harder — than others. Every single person on…
It’s been tough lately. Just when I thought there was a light at the end of my depression tunnel, it got dark again, and I found myself having to start over. Many things attributed to my downward…
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