Hawk’s-Eye View — Hawken Miller

The last time I traveled on my own without my parents was last May, when my friends and I went to Hawaii. While my parents did come with us, they kept to the hotel room and let us…

There are a lot of things to hate about Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Last weekend, I found myself uncontrollably crying while FaceTiming a friend as I was explaining why I wanted to be in a relationship before I lost…

When I went off to school at the University of Southern California (USC), it was the first time, like many other 18-year-olds, that I would be living away from home. It was an especially huge change for me…

We throw around the word “community” a lot in the rare disease space, but don’t always think about what it really means and how it’s vital for patients, family, friends, and caregivers. I rarely see anyone in a wheelchair…

When we think about fighting, we might imagine the Ultimate Fighting Championship ring, where men and women beat each other up in front of millions of fans. Or we might see soldiers firing machine guns, or Darth Vader…

We can all smile, but there’s one type of smile that shows genuine positive emotion and is nearly impossible to fake. The zygomaticus major muscle in the cheek pulls the lips upward while the orbicularis oculi around the eye…

Living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy has plenty of downsides, such as having to use a wheelchair and a BiPAP machine, dealing with fatigue, and wearing night splints, among other things. But if you’ve read my column for a…

No matter who you are, life will throw you seemingly impossible challenges. It will make you question everything. If you believe in God like me, I’m sure you have asked, “Why are you letting this happen to me?” In…

A 7-mile hike with a 1,000-foot elevation gain was on the schedule for our second day of camping at Point Mugu State Park near Malibu, California. I was with our small Boy Scout Troop 911, which operated…

Having Duchenne muscular dystrophy gives me plenty of things to worry about, like scheduling doctors’ appointments on time, not knowing when I might lose my ability to do certain actions, and using the bathroom when out with friends,…

Making it to 25 years old is no small feat. It means you’ve survived for a quarter of a century. While 18 is a clear demarcation between childhood and adulthood, 25 makes it even clearer still. I celebrated that…

Millions of people around the country have quit their jobs in search of more fulfilling work, better hours, and work-from-home options in what the media is calling the “Great Resignation.” Some of them, I’m sure, are realizing that…