Leah Leilani

In this 30 Days of MD post, Briana Mills shares why she chose to become a therapist and advocate for the mental health of those with disabilities.
Here’s an excerpt: “Unfortunately, many disabled individuals experience isolation, constant grief, or feelings of not being valued. Mental health is extremely important, especially in the dis…[Read more]

In this 30 Days of MD post, Sarah Lacey shares how even though her son, Sam, lives with Duchenne MD, there is so much more to him then his diagnosis.
Here’s an excerpt: “It is not always easy being different, and especially as a teen. He handles it all pretty well, is a good self-advocate and has a good team at home and school supporting him…[Read more]

In this 30 Days of MD post, Adeel Rizvi shares his philosophy that life teaches us lessons and we must be open to being taught and learn.
Here’s an excerpt: “Don’t just learn to live; live to learn. Luckily, I have no other choice as a healthcare provider and an individual with a neuromuscular disease. However, I know I want to leave a posit…[Read more]

In this 30 Days of MD post, Evi D. shares her journey to learn to accept her disability and how traveling has challenged her to develop mental strength and creative solutions.
Here’s an excerpt: “It took a long time but 3 years ago I got myself a manual wheelchair and last year I bought a handbike. It takes me places I could have never dre…[Read more]

In this 30 Days of MD post, Joe Jamison shares how his father’s spinal cord injury inspired him to create VisitAble, a company helping businesses and organizations be more mobility-friendly.
Here’s an excerpt: “Although my personal experiences were with my father who has a spinal cord injury and uses a manual wheelchair, we have made sure to ma…[Read more]

In this 30 Days of MD post, our very own MD News columnist, Hawken Miller shares his story of how he found his purpose in life and chooses to focus on his abilities instead of the things he can’t do.
Here’s an excerpt: “I credit my early success in journalism to a few things: one, my goal to not let my disease define me; two, focusing on what…[Read more]

Today’s the first day of MD News’ 30 Days of MD 2021 in celebration of MD Awareness Month! We will be sharing individual stories every day with you, our forum members, written by parents, patients, caregivers, and other allies of the MD community. Join us here, on Instagram @mdnewstoday, or on our main webpage to follow along.
Today, we wou…[Read more]

What is on your calendar for this month? Do you have any doctors appointments scheduled or travel plans that you’ve been looking forward to?
I have quite a few doctors to visit this month but my mom and I always make sure to space them out to allow time for life and fun outings. After all, it’s important to have balance.
My mom’s birthday is ne…[Read more]

Do you have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from past medical experiences or procedures?
It is said that Medical PTSD, also referred to as illness-induced PTSD affects 25% of people who go through a life-threatening event, those who felt in danger during their medical event or who feel little to no control over their ongoing medical…[Read more]