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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Before I developed symptoms and then was diagnosed at 25 with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a progressive and degenerative disease, I was healthy, active, and able. Since my symptoms progressed, I no longer…
When you are the parent of kids ages 5 and 3, you read lots of fairy-tale books and watch countless Disney movies. You become part of the wonderful stories and see hardworking ladies…
Friedreich’s ataxia is a daunting, life-altering diagnosis. It changes every aspect of your life, especially as your disease progresses. It changes your ability to do the things that once came easily, and…
Because of my Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), I use a walker as a mobility aid. The walker helps provide the stability that I can’t accomplish on my own, which helps prevent falls. My walker…
I am the proud mother to two children: my 5-year-old son and my nearly 3-year-old daughter. We just celebrated Mother’s Day last weekend. My family always does a wonderful job of making me…
The biggest things in our lives tend to occupy most of our brain space, such as family, significant others, friends, jobs, goals, pets, finances, plans, and so on. I have an additional big thing:…
Part of the personal process of accepting my Friedreich’s ataxia diagnosis was deciding to do something proactive to try to secure a better, disease-free future for my fellow FA patients. An integral part…
I’m always alarmed when I notice the progression of my Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) symptoms, which highlight the harsh reality of my progressive neurological disease. Recently we got a new puppy, and training her…
One of the harsh realities of life with Friedreich’s ataxia is falling. That was my first major symptom and a red flag. I knew something was wrong because I was falling more than I…
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