Reclaiming the disabled narrative.
The Family Bible As a kid, there were few things I enjoyed more than flipping through my parents' wedding album. The squat brown portfolio sat on our bookshelf, tucked between James Patterson hardbacks and a giant family bible we stored important papers in. The album's cover was a soft brown leather with a gold cross… Continue reading Rolling Down the Aisle: Surrendering My Dream Wedding Led to Something Better
Author's note: This article contains descriptions of suicidal ideation. Depression Expert, Video Game Novice Content to watch my brother from the sidelines. In life and in Mario Kart. I had never heard of Animal Crossing before the day my husband excitedly told me how much I would love it. A new title in the series… Continue reading Animal Crossing Delivered Me from Depression Twice
I was thoroughly burrowed in my bed when a familiar ache started creeping up the backs of my thighs. I had spent the day stretching out my contracted muscles, and they were pissed. If I didn’t take something soon, I would be awake in a few hours with pain too excruciating to fall back asleep.… Continue reading Red Tape, Duct Tape: The Unexpected Saga of Getting and Keeping My Wheelchair
A few weekends ago, my husband convinced me to go with him to a Pokèmon Go community day event (yes, some of us are still playing). We roamed our old college campus in a never-ending quest to catch 'em all on an Indiana day so hot and sticky it was like living in the Devil's… Continue reading I’m 28 Years Old and Just Bought Shorts for the First Time
My phone buzzed on my desk at 5:30 on Friday evening. I didn't recognize the number and bet my coworkers that it was one of the many spam calls we all get on a daily basis. I fought my natural instinct and picked up. It was my neurologist. The results of my genetic test were… Continue reading After Years of Battle, A Monster Unveiled
I was just a toddler when my family knew for sure that the disease that had been raging through our bloodline for generations had come for me. There was no formal diagnosis, no genetic tests or EMGs. My legs and feet looked just like my sister's, and my dad's and my dad's dad's. There was… Continue reading Dealing with My Diagnosis: 25 Years Later