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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In my humble, nonmedical opinion, adrenaline is an amazingly complicated feature of the human body. It always seems to have tricky and unpredictable effects on my ever-changing Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) symptoms. Here’s why I…
One of my favorite Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) quotes comes from Ron Bartek, co-founder and president of the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA). He said, “Acting alone, there is very little any of…
We’ve all heard the phrase “if these walls could talk.” We guess about the secret conversations that have taken place in a room and wonder what it would be like if the walls could…
They say there is no parenting handbook. There is no universal system or code that can set you up for foolproof success in raising your children to be confident and competent adults. As the…
I was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) on Aug. 19, 2013. Before that day, I had never even heard of FA, let alone expected to think about this progressive, degenerative, life-shortening disease…
When I was a young girl making a list of my “dream guy” qualities, it was probably like everyone else’s. I wanted him to be kind, handsome, smart, funny, nice to his family,…
Last week, my husband and I decided it was time for a change of scenery from our COVID-19 quarantine in Austin, Texas, and we rented a beach house on the coast for a…
I keep thinking about the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side.” This is usually thrown around when you wish for something. We get it set in our minds that if…
With Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), I am used to the reality that my abilities are progressively deteriorating. I am losing coordination, dexterity, cellular energy, and strength every single day. I am all too aware…
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