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.As I’ve grown more physically disabled with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), I’ve developed a new ability: knowing quickly how to address a stranger’s concerns about my disability. Whether it’s a curious child inquiring about my walker, an older…
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A recent struggle has been bothering me, even though, logically, it feels silly to get worked up about it. In the big scheme of things, it has no real impact on my life, yet it’s another reminder that I’m…
Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is a huge part of my life, like it or not. My disability due to FA is one of the first things people think or wonder about when they meet me. As much as…
Through my column, I’ve become aware of two habits: I focus a lot on what I can or can’t do because of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) and its associated disability, and I watch a lot of children’s…
When I’m frustrated about my Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) disabilities, life has a cruel tendency to remind me how very not “normal” I am. I continually find myself in circumstances that highlight my problems or force me to be…
Most people know the Jackie DeShannon song that goes, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love/ It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” While I can think of a few more things…
Life with a progressively degenerative neurological disease like Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is a lot to handle. Not only is it incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking physically, but it is also relentlessly emotionally draining. In the decade that I’ve been…
It’s so easy to get down about the daily struggle of becoming progressively more disabled. Every single day, more of my abilities and independence slip away, and I rely more heavily on my village for support. Although this…
As we approached the end of 2023, I didn’t feel like myself. I was overwhelmed by most things in my life, and I constantly felt inadequate. That made it easy for me to retreat, curse my circumstances, cancel plans,…
Actor and activist Michael J. Fox, 62, has been publicly battling Parkinson’s disease since 1998. Although Parkinson’s and my diagnosis of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) are very different, they are both neurological diseases that affect your…
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