Author Archives: Hawken Miller

My life has been quite busy lately. Between starting my full-time job at BioNews, helping produce two Call of Duty League YouTube shows, working on other freelance journalism projects, and managing my health, which gets progressively worse because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I’ve become a bit overwhelmed. When…

Transitions are a part of life. We go through puberty as teenagers and our bodies change. We move out of our parents’ place to go to college or start a new job. We get older, some of us have kids, and our perspectives change. When…

On April 1, I started full time at BioNews, the publisher of Muscular Dystrophy News Today, writing feature stories about the rare disease community. Since I first started writing articles in December 2019, my work has ranged from interviews with advocates, CEOs, and…

I sometimes like to imagine a life in which I don’t have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle-weakening disease. No boundaries would hold me in. I could travel anywhere I want and write an unlimited number of stories. This is an…

Ray Jordan and Cyndi Segroves, a married couple with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), haven’t let their disability get in the way of anything.  They’ve traveled from their Arizona home to destinations around the world — from Hawaii and New…

This is the dirtiest column I have ever written because it’s about poop. And whether you love it or hate it, it’s an especially relevant topic to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community. Sitting in a wheelchair for long periods and experiencing overall muscle weakness can…

Kriki Cragwalker, a redheaded dwarf from the mountain city of Jagarz Dauk, grasps her enchanted, two-handed greataxe and is circled by a host of ancient green spirits with allegiance to the god Jani. She charges forward toward a horrified hobgoblin.  Flanked…

As anyone affected by a rare disease knows, treating the illness while trying to go about everyday life is an expensive undertaking.  But exactly how expensive — in terms of direct and indirect costs across rare disease populations — might still come as a surprise: almost…

If you are familiar with the disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy, it’s easy to tell if someone has it. Enlarged calves, a waddling gait, the use of a wheelchair, and in some cases, a puffy face due to steroid use are all visual cues…

On Feb. 19, I received my second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. According to the nurse who gave me the injection and clinical trial results from the biotech company, the vaccine is about 95% effective against COVID-19 within seven to 14 days, a period that ended for…