Columns

Columnist’s Note: Dear reader, this will be my final column at Muscular Dystrophy News. The past 15 months have been wonderful, but I have decided to take time away from writing to work on a variety of things, including the LGMD2L Foundation. Next year will bring us many opportunities…

I like to think I’m pretty funny, at least that is until I work up the courage to say something in a conversation. A lot of my humor has to do with my disability. Making a few wheelchair jokes here and there makes people uncomfortable, but it helps…

I often associate independence with adulthood and coming-of-age. The liberation of a teenager learning to drive a car or a student bidding farewell to their childhood home as they are whisked off to college are just a few things that come to mind. I think of these things…

In the disabled community, many people discuss the negative implications of being called “inspiring.” Some have said it’s objectifying, reduces our humanness, or congratulates us just for being disabled.  I agree with many of those statements; however, if I am helping a person work past their…

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards,” said philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. He came up with an existential masterpiece. In a dozen words, Kierkegaard captured what we all struggle with in finding meaning in our lives. I find it much easier to look backward to…

It is undeniable that the coronavirus pandemic has affected many aspects of life. Along with establishing new norms for work, school, and social interaction, the pandemic has forced romantic relationships to undergo alterations.  “When can I see you again?” my boyfriend, Will, asked for the…

For a long time, I didn’t think journalism was a creative endeavor. I viewed the craft from an analytical perspective. After all, I was just recounting my firsthand experience publishing interviews and translating research. It wasn’t until recently — when I began reading the book “…

My parents tried to shield me as long as they could from data that revealed the average life expectancy of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Once I grew older and more curious, I finally came across those numbers, and they scared me. I…

On May 1, I became eligible for Medicare. This is one of those milestones in life. I was able to access this benefit a few years early because of my muscular dystrophy. I am now on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The way it works is that after…

Positivity is a characteristic that I naturally possess. I seldom struggle to find the bright side of situations. Although this attribute has saved me innumerous times from acquiring a negative disposition, I have not been completely unscathed by depression and anxiety.  My mental illness began early…