My Darling Disability
— Kendall Harvey

When diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia, the first things people usually ask are: “What can I do about this? Is there a treatment or cure? Where do I sign up?” Then, we receive more bad news: Currently, there…

“Life isn’t fair.” “No one said this would be easy.” We have all heard these platitudes and we’ve all repeated them. And yes, there is truth in these well-worn phrases: Life is hard, messy, emotional, and unexpected,…

At first, I resented having Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) because it hasn’t allowed me to be the mom I always imagined I would be. Now that I have a couple of years of parenting experience under my…

Describing a progressive genetic disease like Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is difficult. It has a wide range of symptoms, most of which are unique to FA and not easily understood unless you have firsthand experience or a loved…

I grew up in a church-going family that was always involved in ministry. We spent at least three days a week at church. I had a sound knowledge of Christianity, the Bible, and what it meant to…

I have been working with my physical therapist, Kelli, for a year and a half. She is brilliant at what she does and has become a dear friend. I am so thankful to have her by…

Third and final in a series. In a previous column, I discussed the tests I underwent to diagnose Friedreich’s ataxia. “Kendall, I was afraid that this might be the case: You have Friedreich’s ataxia.” My doctor looked…

Second in a series. In a previous column, I discussed my active childhood and early signs that something wasn’t right. As the evidence began to pile up, I started to accept that someone who has been…

First in a series. From the time we are toddlers, we start dreaming about the future. We want to be firefighters, teachers, rock stars, race car drivers, or in my case, a zoologist. So many exciting possibilities…