Columns

I attended my final class at the University of Southern California (USC) last Wednesday, and I thought this would be a good time to look back at the ups and downs of navigating college with a disability. The support of those around me…

My faith in God and my spiritual and practical gifts have helped me to find a purpose worth living for in a body and world that make it difficult. Because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I can solve all of the small inconveniences in front of me without understanding the…

Whenever the topic of accessibility comes up, you can bet there’ll be great passion. We all want the right to access and partake in everything beautiful in life, yet so much of the world is unreachable to those of us with disabilities.  In this column, I introduce my alter…

Living with Duchenne makes a lot of things difficult, including socializing with other people. Throughout my life, especially as the disease has progressed, it’s gotten harder to relate to people without physical disabilities. Even with the added difficulty, I’ve succeeded socially by carefully choosing the people I surround myself…

Come on! Is it essential to set goals in life? Do we need them? How can those of us who deal with a muscle-wasting illness push ourselves appropriately and live life to the fullest extent possible? I can tell you that it’s easy to fall into inaction if we…

In fifth grade, it was hard for me to grasp why some people could play handball, run, and join the flag football team, but I couldn’t. I gave more weight than I should have to the things that I could not do. Looking back, I’m not surprised I thought that…

Welcome to my first column at Muscular Dystrophy News Today. Let me tell you a little about myself. I turned 60 in January and have been dealing with muscle loss symptoms since I was 47. When I first noticed the symptoms, my form of muscular dystrophy had not…

Initial misdiagnosis is a common experience of those living with chronic illnesses. Many diseases have similar characteristics, and during the process of elimination, patients can receive an incorrect diagnosis.  In previous columns, I have written about my early developmental delays. I’ve shared my tips for teachers…

My mom used to shake me awake in the morning, cook me breakfast, and send me off to school with a packed lunch. She made sure I took all my pills, ate vegetables, and had consistent physical therapy. My dad and some teachers acted as my arms and legs to…

It’s fitting that I start writing my first column as I begin my next major life transition. I graduate from the University of Southern California (USC) in May and start a journalism internship in Washington, D.C., in June. I’ll be moving from the home I’ve made on the West Coast…