Kendall is a wife and mother of two navigating life with Friedreich’s ataxia in Austin, Texas. She worked in marketing before “retiring” and becoming a stay-at-home-mom. She is an optimistic warrior fighting for a better future free of FA. She uses her column to help others process both the visible and invisible struggles that come with rare disease and disability.My love language has always been words of affirmation. When someone gives me a genuine compliment or a little bit of encouragement, it has the power to change my mood and affect my whole day. Niceties lighten my…
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I’ve always been an emotional person. I feel everything with great depth and have a long memory, and while I love to celebrate the good in life, I tend to be consumed by the bad. I often take things…
I share my journey with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) openly, and I know that my sharing, coupled with my highly visible walker, puts a spotlight on my disability. However, I’ve had some acquaintances who immediately approach me…
I grew up in Katy, Texas, and in keeping with the Texan stereotype, I was a cheerleader who married my high school sweetheart, who also happened to be the captain of the football team. Together, we have a…
It’s no secret that I struggle both mentally and physically with the relentlessly progressive nature of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). Just when I think I’ve got the hang of coping with advancing symptoms and the adaptations they require,…
Many have read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel “The Scarlet Letter,” but in case you haven’t, the main character, Hester, is forced to live her life as an outcast with the scarlet letter “A,” for “adulterer,” on her chest to atone…
One of American poet Robert Frost’s famous quotes is, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” As I approach the ninth anniversary of my Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) diagnosis, I can…
I recently binged four seasons of the television series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I will spare you my enthusiastically detailed summary except for this: The main character, June Osborne, is a prisoner in the household of a commander…
When you’re a parent of preschool-age children, there’s a large focus on teaching the concept of opposites. Big and small, nice and mean, wet and dry, strong and weak, happy and sad, and so on. The illustrations usually…
When you live under the banner of a degenerative disease such as Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), you become well acquainted with fear. You fear what your body has in store for you tomorrow, next month, next year, and the…
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