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Break The Barrier I became a paraplegic when I wreaked my old school 80's cruzer at the age of 21 and scored a T:5,6,7. I try to fill my life with as much music and nature as I can. I figured out how to play the drums again by turning my bass drums on their sides and using drumline sticks. Car camping is lame and so are sidewalks, so I've been exploring non-accessible trails and figuring out the best methods to get out in nature. Part of that is through having thick tires and a freewheel, but I also off-road the fire roads in the mountains with my Tacoma to access the "actual" mountains you can only hike to. I'm trying to devote my life to helping people with spinal cord injury through music/horticulture therapy and being a peer mentor. I play drums, electric bass, mandolin, cello, guitar, and sing in bands. Never give up and dream big and show 2018 what your about! Any questions or conversation interests hit me up!

למצוא שמחה בחיים באמצעות האמונה 22 בדצמבר 2017 יכול היה להיות היום האחרון שלי עלי אדמות, אבל לאלוהים היו תוכניות אחרות בשבילי. כשהתאונה אירעה לא הרגשתי כלום בהתחלה, פשוט קיבלתי את מה שקרה. חשבתי שאני עומדת למות, וידעתי שלפחות השתניתי, דיברתי את דבר האלוהים ואהבתי את אלה היקרים לי ביותר. נישקתי את בני במה שחשבתי שתהיה הפעם האחרונה ואמרתי לו שאני אוהבת אותו. ידעתי שאם אשרוד תהיה לי פציעה, אבל אזכה לומר שזה עדיין לא הזמן שלי למות. כל שאני יכולה לומר הוא תודה לאלוהים על שנתן לי לבלות את חג המולד עם המשפחה שלי עם המשמעות האמיתית שלו (לידת ישו) בפעם השנייה בחיי עם הבן שלי שאיתו בורכתי. למרות שספגתי חבלה בחזה ונקע בצוואר מהתאונה, אני זוכרת שאלוהים אמר "אנחנו לפעמים נפגעים, אבל לא מושמדים". רציתי לחלוק את זה אחרי החגים כדי לא לקלקל את השמחה של אף אחד, אבל עכשיו כשחג המולד הסתיים אל תתנו לשמחה הזו להיגמר. גם אם המציאות פוגעת בכם, האמינו שהכל יהיה בסדר. Finding Joy In Life Through Faith December 22, 2017 could've been my last day on earth, but God had other plans for me. When the accident happened I felt nothing at first, I just accepted what was next. I thought that I was going to die, and knew that at least I had changed, spoken the word of God & loved those that I knew dearest to me. I kissed my son what I thought would be one last time & told him I loved him. If I survived, I knew I would have an injury but would live to say it wasn't my time to die yet. All I can say is thank you God for letting me spend Christmas with my family for it's true meaning (the birth of Jesus Christ) for the second time in my life with my son who I was blessed with. Although, I suffered from a chest contusion & cervical sprain from the accident, I remember that God said "We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭ I wanted to share this after the holidays so I don't kill anybody's joy, but now that Christmas is over don't let that joy end. Even if reality hits you, have faith that everything will be alright. 🙏🏽

ברוך הבא לעולם, ג'יידן! כשג'יידן נולד, ידענו שקיבלנו מתנה מדהימה! ידעתי, בדיוק כמו שכל אמא מרגישה, שהוא היה התינוק היפה ביותר בעולם! למחרת בבוקר רופא המשפחה נכנס ואמר לנו שיש חששות כי לג'יידן עשויה להיות תסמונת דאון. זו היתה הפתעה ענקית! בכנות פחדתי עד מוות. הייתי כל כך מפוחדת כי לתינוק המתוק הקטן שלי יהיו בעיות בריאותיות חמורות או שייאבק בחיים. למדתי כל כך הרבה מאז! Welcome to the World, Jaden! When Jaden was born, we knew we had an incredible gift! I knew, just like every mother feels, he was the most beautiful baby in the world! The next morning the pediatric doctor came in and told us that there were some concerns that Jaden may have Down syndrome. It was a huge surprise! Honestly I was scared to death. I was so scared that my sweet little baby would have severe health problems or that he would struggle through life. I have learned SO much since then! האמת על תסמונת דאון ג'יידן עכשיו בן 3 חודשים. הוא עשוי לפתח בעיות בריאותיות בעתיד אבל עד כה, הוא בריא לחלוטין! הוא מתפתח בדיוק כמו כל תינוק אחר. הוא התהפך בגיל שבועיים. הוא מחייך כל הזמן ומדבר בשפת התינוק הקטנה שלו. למצוא את ידיו הוא אחד הדברים הכי חמודים שהוא עשה. הוא פשוט יושב שם ומשחק איתן כל הזמן! הנקודה שלי היא, אלוהים לא עשה טעות כשנתן לג'יידן כרומוזום נוסף. הוא רק בירך את אבא שלו ואותי עם משהו נוסף! The Truth About Down Syndrome Jaden is now 3 months old. He may develop health issues in the future but so far, he's perfectly healthy! He is developing just like any other baby. He rolled over at 2 weeks. He smiles ALL the time and talks in his little baby language. Finding his hands is one of the cutest things he's done. He just sits there and plays with them all the time! My point is, God did not make a mistake in giving Jaden an extra chromosome. He BLESSED his daddy and I with just a little something extra!

Why is representation important? My name is Jason Clymo and I am a 22 year old model living with a disability. I am incredibly passionate about diversity and inclusion within the fashion industry and mainstream media/ advertising. I believe that the current lack of representation has horrible implications for the self-steem of excluded individuals, as well as negatively impacting society's perceptions of people living with disabilities (along with many other minority groups that are continually not represented). These impacts on self-esteem and society's perceptions/ beliefs have a devastating ripple effect, resulting in (and continually fueling) the barriers that prevent people with disability to have equal opportunity in everyday life. Most of the time these barriers are not deliberate, but are the result of a subconscious bias that many members of society hold. Bringing me back to my main point - this subconscious bias is most often fed by the media. An example: if there were no blonde-haired models, TV presenters, actors, singers etc. featured in the media, then society would subconsciously be fed the lie that blonde hair is not desirable. Or even scarier, that people with blonde hair are lesser. This is what is happening to people with disabilities right now. Every single day. If that didn't make sense - essentially what I am saying is: excluding people with disability in the fashion industry and mainstream media/advertising results in society subconsciously lowering their expectations or thinking less of people with disability. This subconscious bias then results in very real barriers - in terms of employment, education, relationships and all other aspects of life. Every business, company, agency etc. in these industries has such a great opportunity right now to make some real positive change. CELEBRATE HUMANITY Recently I saw the movie 'The Greatest Showman'. Not only was it a fantastic movie, there was also one particular quote that stuck with me - "a celebration of humanity". It was so perfect. Celebrate humanity. That is simply what I am asking for when I campaign for brands, designers, companies, businesses etc to be more inclusive and diverse in their campaigns and advertising. Humanity is incredibly diverse. So to celebrate humanity, we must celebrate diversity. CONSUMERS HAVE POWER I have been asked many times how others could help me on my journey of creating change in the fashion and advertising industries. Side note: You should also know that I'm not alone - there are plenty of amazing individuals in the world who are also campaigning for inclusion/representation. Many of which, I have learnt a lot from. But to those who feel empowered to help, my answer to you is CONSUMERS HAVE POWER. More than ever, consumers are in control of the market. We just don't always realise it, and we definitely don't utilise that control enough. But it's there - companies, designers and brands are all constantly trying to appeal to their consumers in an extremely competitive market. So, if you want to see some positive change in these industries, I ask you to accept some responsibility and use the power and privilege that you have as a consumer. Simply send an email (or DM, PM, call, send a letter - whatever works for you) to one or two of your favourite brands, designers, magazines, companies, businesses etc. and ask them to be more inclusive. Ask them to use and hire more diverse models/people... People with disability, people who wear larger sized clothing, people who are older than the average model, people of different cultures - the list goes on. Because the only way to make a real shift, is to create a movement. You are a consumer. You are powerful. Ask for more and demand better. Jason Clymo WINK Models Starting With Julius Ad-Inclusion Ambassador Models of Diversity Ambassador

I’M JOE PLEBAN I am 27 and currently living in Silverthorne, CO. However, my home is wherever you find my fiance Johnna and my dog, Grohl (currently Fredericksburg, VA). Some of you may know me for my 'Please Cut Here' Tattoo...one of the only non-permanent, permanent tattoos. In 2014, I got my left foot amputated and before hand I had a bucket list of items to do with my left foot, including getting a tattoo. But let's start from the beginning. BEFORE THE AMPUTATION I am a three-year amputee who has a chance to snowboard for the United States in the Paralympics next year. Did I ever think I would have an opportunity to compete at a professional level in the sport I love? NOPE. But, here we are! Born in California and raised in Virginia by my parents with two younger sisters, my family was never lacking adventure. Traveling, scuba diving, hiking national parks, swimming; I grew up with the attitude that I could try just about anything. I love all sports and the success of competing well, but especially the camaraderie that came with being on a team. All throughout middle and high school I competed in swimming, eventually making the top 16 fastest 50-meter freestylers in Virginia. When I attended Christopher Newport University for college, I switched to rugby for the brotherhood, tackles and tries. The bonds I built as a member of my college rugby team I will have forever. Those college teammates/goofballs are still some of my best friends to this day. But the sport I never strayed from is snowboarding. From the time I learned, I have spent every family vacation to Vermont and snowy weekend to Snowshoe on the slopes and in the terrain parks. I have even had the opportunity to board in California on some of the most professionally challenging terrain parks. I have enjoyed every second of it. However, with sports, injury usually follows. In my years growing up, ankle injuries remained a constant in my life. It seemed no matter what I did, I always ended up in pain and on crutches. On my high school graduation day, I broke my ankle wakeboarding. When it refused to heal properly, the doctors popped open my ankle and found out that I wasn’t just injury-prone, but I had a very rare joint disease called PVNS that caused benign tumors to invade my ankle joint. I spent six years enduring numerous surgeries, radiation therapy, pain medication, and way too much time on crutches. PVNS destroyed my ankle, and all of the things I loved to do were slowly taken away because of pain. At the age of 23, I was walking with a cane. The doctors gave me two options: ankle fusion, which one doctor told me “you’ll have enough movement to get out of the way of a moving car, or amputation." Well, you know which one I chose. THE LAST ADVENTURES OF JOE'S LEFT FOOT BUCKET LIST As you can imagine, it was the hardest decision I have ever made. But, in true Pleban fashion, my family started to make jokes about it immediately, from endless Halloween costume ideas to helping me get my first non- permanent tattoo: a dotted line and scissors topped with “please cut here” on my ankle a month before my surgery. The surgeons were surprised. Along with the tattoo was an extensive bucket list of adventures to have before the surgery. My fiancé, Johnna, and I went to music festivals, skydiving, paint balling, scuba diving and much more. It was a great farewell to my left foot before my surgery in June of 2014 at Georgetown University Hospital. They did not let me keep my severed foot. I tried. Something about Virginia State Laws. In an effort to keep my family and friends up-to-date on my journey, my sister created a Facebook page called ‘The Last Adventures of Joe’s Left Foot’. We enjoyed posting pictures of all our adventures and the numerous ways we could cut off my foot. When she posted some of the pictures on Reddit, my story went viral with over 300,000 people all over the world following my story. I was featured on news sites like Huffington Post, ABC News, and People.com, and of course, our very own Fredericksburg.com! The greatest reward from this small burst of fame was meeting the numerous people in situations just like mine. Countless amazing individuals emerged, from longtime amputees to then 9 year old Aiden who was beginning to consider amputation. That kid is awesome. The ability to reach out and help others on their journey as well as to learn from incredible athletes has shown me that there can be good things that come out of a bad situation. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY Two years and two additional surgeries for nerve and phantom pain later, I was able to truly start to enjoy the benefits of having a robot leg. I now play rugby on our local team, participate in races with Johnna on my ‘running blade’, wake-surf with my family, and, most importantly, snowboard. Everything seemed to lead up my trip to Copper Mountain, Colorado in January of 2017, where I had the opportunity to meet and train with the Adaptive Action Sports (AAS) team. I realized that just maybe, I was good enough at snowboarding to make something of it. Back in Virginia, I competed in a USASA Boardercross competition and not only placed first in both of my races in the adaptive division, but I also beat the other able-bodied competitors in my age division. I was then able to compete in the NORAM and IPC competitions in March in Colorado. For the 2017-2018 Winter Season, I joined the AAS snowboard team to travel to competitions in New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, Colorado and Canada. I am currently ranked 13th worldwide in Lower Limb 2 Boardercross, and 15th in Banked Slalom. I am absolutely loving my time out here trianing and competeing full-time in Colorado, and am so thankful for all the people who have supported me on this journey!

What I Wish I Had Known About Down Syndrome I do not feel like an expert in anything! By anything, I mean nothing. I am a photographer and and then I started this motherhood adventure. Just as I was beginning to feel like my head was above water and approaching the life boat, a tsunami came out of nowhere and my son Leo was diagnosed with Down syndrome. So, I am blissfully drowning again—trying to navigate the new waters of motherhood with an added and very unexpected twist. If you are not a parent or relative of a sweet soul possessing an extra chromosome bundled with extra needs, chances are your first reaction to this is pity. Sincere and well meaning pity is not in any way offensive. I know that pity—even well intentioned and heartfelt pity— angers a lot of people, but I understand it. Additionally, I appreciate the sentiment. The difficulty with pity is that it does not grow with with us and our adjustment to our challenges. It is much more static and much less resilient than we are. Swimming with the Tsunami forces all of us to move on. Pity is an assessment of the past. I would like to talk about the future and suggest there are some things I wish I knew beforehand as I push foward. The Down Syndrome Club Kids born with Down syndrome often have more health issues. So if there, is in fact something to feel sorry about, it is the very real heartache parents and family endure when facing multiple surgeries and hospital visits. Welcoming someone into your family born with Down syndrome comes with a lifelong membership to a very exclusive club. You become part of a community of parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents who all love someone who is chromosomally enhanced. They welcome you with open arms, share in your triumphs and feel for your sorrows and losses. They also have moved beyond pity into the future. Please be patient with everything and everyone. I think of people in my everyday life who do not move efficiently enough or do not do things how I want them done and worry that I have not been patient enough. Now, I realize that my son may not be be efficient or quick and I desperately desire patience on his behalf. I want it so badly that I literally pray for patience and understanding on the part of others that are part of his life. I have also become more sensitive to the challenges of others. You never know what someone is dealing with or the struggles they have. Be patient, be understanding, be kind. Lastly, children born with Down syndrome are loved just as much as any other children. They bring you just as much happiness, frustration, confusion, joy and any other emotions that come with any bundle of joy we decide to bring into the world. Life is filled with ups and downs, if this is my "down", I am truly lucky.

אני ורגל המתכת שלי ב-9 ביולי 2010 איבדתי חצי מהרגל הימנית שלי, כ-3 ס"מ מתחת לברך. הייתי המפקיד הראשי של צוות הלילה במפעל מיחזור ובגלל ציוד פגום המכונה איתחלה את עצמה כשהייתי בתוך החדר. עד כה, כמעט 100 בני אדם מתו כתוצאה ישירה מכך, ואני רק האדם הרביעי בעולם ששרד תאונה כזאת, ואחד משניים בלבד שעדיין בחיים כיום. שני האחרים בסופו של דבר נכנעו לפציעתם בשנים שלאחר תאונותיהם. בשבע השנים שחלפו מאז התאונה שלי, החיים שלי חזרו למסלול ככל האפשר. בעוד שעדיין יש לי בעיות מהתאונה, יותר נפשיות מאשר פיזיות, אני אסיר תודה שאני כאן היום. Me & My Metal Leg On July 9, 2010, I lost half of my right leg at 3 inches below the knee. I was the lead night crew bailer at a recycling plant, and due to faulty equipment the machine started itself while I was inside the chamber. To date, almost 100 people have died from direct impact with a horizontal bailing ram, and I am only the fourth person in the world to have ever survived such an accident, and one of only two who are still alive today. The other two eventually succumbed to their injuries in the years following their accidents. In the seven years since my accident, my life has returned as close to normal as it can. While I still have issues regarding my accident, more mental than physical, I'm thankful that I'm here today.

WAY2GO needs your help Greetings, My name is Ronit. Me and some friends with physical disabilities have created an innovative social enterprise called WAY2GO. As physically disabled, we believe that accessibility cannot be defined in general terms, and that each person needs a different type of accessibility that would fit them. Imagine me as a wheelchair-bound disabled person who wants to spontaneously go out for coffee with my spouse. In the past, I would have thought several times whether to even get out of my home. It did not seem fair to me that in order to drink coffee with my husband, we had to open our diaries and call numerous places on the phone to check the level of accessibility in the place we wanted to go out to. Disabled people in Israel are forced to search for the products and services they need in a variety of platforms. Whether through web search, by word of mouth and even by going to stores and suppliers in person. We, at WAY2GO, came to change all that. This project is a social initiative that works in the area of accessibility and aims to provide equality to physically disabled people. We at WAY2GO come to change the situation described above, by doing the work for the disabled people and their families. With the help of WAY2GO and the innovation we bring, those people can go out anywhere anytime. Our project has created a unique interactive solution for business mapping, covering various areas, such as food and drinks, tourism and entertainment. Each business is represented on a map using a dedicated pin, that is linked to the business' profile, describing through text and images the level of accessibility through predefined parameters (parking, level of access to the business and within the business, toilets for the disabled and more). The project comes with a positive attitude for both sides. To the disabled person it gives, in one place, all the information they need regarding accessibility of businesses around them. The uniqueness of this project is that all the information is backed up by pictures taken without filters and with corresponding text, and it is gathered by the project's volunteers. Everything in prospect to restore to the disabled person the possibility of going out of their home spontaneously, by giving them the tools to decide whether the level of accessibility is sufficient for them or not. On the other hand, the project helps the businesses by exposing them to additional target customers and by adding to their services a social value. The project also helps businesses with modular accessibility solutions (i.e. Lego solutions) that give a fast answer to accessibility problems. Our project has been on the air for several months now. We've visited many places and taken pictures with our mobile cameras (without filters), of the level of accessibility. We later use the collected data and information to update the way2go accessibility map, as well as all the internet media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and of course the way2go website, thus allowing every person with disabilities to always have all the information they need at hand. We do not come to evaluate or judge the level of accessibility, but rather bring it as it is, with the understanding that accessibility cannot be defined, and that every disabled person needs a different level of accessibility. I appeal to you for help and support. We are a few disabled people who invested our money, time and effort to carry out this amazing project that shows a positive side and not a side of misery. A needed enterprise that connects people in positive ways. We believe that the way to make the project even more accessible is through a tailor-made application, in which the accessibility map will appear alongside all the other project's activities. We ask you to support this project and bring innovation to the world of accessibility because we too deserve the chance to go out of our homes whenever we want. We'll be happy to expand further in a meeting with you. You can contact us: wheelchairlife117@gmail.com Ronit 054-9398399; Ilan 052-5351342 www.w2go.biz Regards and thanks, Ronit and Ilan Founders of WAY2GO

My name is Heidi and I am not my body... My name is Heidi (@heidijojane) and I am not my body. At the tender age of thirteen, my life as I knew it and my ignorance to real anguish changed forever. What began as a case of Strep Throat quickly escalated into the rarity I now live with on a daily basis: Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. I was introduced to MCTD, and my subsequent “Five Worst Boyfriends Ever” (Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis) in March of 2012, after eight and a half years of being undiagnosed. In October 2017, after symptoms of severe kidney distress manifested, I also discovered I have Lyme Disease. For the past three and a half years, I’ve dedicated myself to holistic health and healing through diet, lifestyle and functional medicine practices. I can confidently say after implementing these techniques, I’m healthier, happier, stronger and closer than ever to reaching full remission. How Chronic Illness Has Effected My Life Yet, living with a chronic illness over the last fourteen years has caused its fair share of turmoil and heartbreak. I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the recklessness of being a teenager, or to explore the soul-searching years of my early twenties. I was unable to achieve certain dreams and goals I had always envisioned and planned on. I missed out on many traditional milestones every young adult experiences. For a long time, I was essentially, the girl who never grew up. However, through my health trial I’ve gained priceless knowledge of not only my body, the world of medicine, Autoimmune Disease and Chronic Illness, but I’ve also developed an authentic compassion and empathy for others who suffer in silence. It is now my sincerest desire to start a foundation to enable true healing and advocacy through what I have learned, and I’m actively pursuing this by becoming a certified Health Coach. As many of you can relate, life is not perfect and there are no guarantees. What we had intiallly imagined for ourselves before our lives were unpredictably altered may never come to pass. Instead, a deeper meaning and purpose can flourish through our struggles. I believe we can truly be defined not by our bodies' limitations or disabilities, but by the refinement of our character and our drive to continually press forward in pursuing the beauties, wonders and adventures of a life well lived with hope. My name is Heidi and I am not my body— I AM SO MUCH MORE!

The Time of My Life I was always active, not necessarily the sports playing type, although I did play as the only girl on the boys ice hockey team in high school...not because I loved the game or even was any good but because a boy told me I couldn't. But I was always doing something, on my bike, rollerblades, exploring etc. When I got out of high school I became an EMT, worked on the ambulance a few days a week, worked part time as an Emergency Room Technician and volunteered as a firefighter....did I mention I also went to college full time?? I LOVED it, I loved the extra training, ice water rescue, high angle rescue, which was rappelling off of a building to get to our "victim" getting them off of their harness, hooked onto ours and then rappelling the rest of the way down with them. My goal was to be a flight medic one day. Things change, I moved and decided I wanted to try my hand at being a police officer, a dream that I had kept to myself most of my life. I was nearly through the hiring process, passed the tests physical and written. Thats when my body started to fall apart. I needed knee surgery and had to withdraw. Dreams on Hold In the meantime, I moved back to my hometown and took a job as a dispatcher at a trauma hospital. Soon I would meet and marry my husband who was a soldier at Ft Drum, we would have a daughter and he would have two deployements to Iraq. That put my life on hold, but it was okay because I would raise our daughter and then when she got old enough to where she didn't need me as much I could go back to my dreams. I could get back into EMS or be like the one police officer I knew in Connecticut who waited to join the force until she raised her children. Getting Sick Getting sick happened gradually. It wasn't one big disease that took me out. First I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, then came Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, REM Sleep Disorder, and on and on, seems like every year something new. Many conditions were conditions that could be triggered by stress, my husband had been injured in the war and had severe PTSD and yes, I was under constant, major stress for years. I came to realization that my EMS days were over. I won't even try to explain the devastation that came with that. You always think that you are going to have more time, I never thought that by my early 30s my time would be over. Who am I Now? I'd spent so long with my identity wrapped up in these roles, EMS, Mother, Wife, Army Family Readiness Group Leader.....I was now stripped of two. Mother and wife weren't all I was but it was all I had been doing for so long, I held onto my EMS identity because I was going back but now I couldn't, so, who the hell was I now? I spent a lot of time lost, I had never taken that time that most teens and early twenty somethings take to "find" themselves. Then I discovered MeetUp.com. A website that has all kinds of different groups that get together based on your zip code. So I decided thats what I was going to do, I was going to try everything from yoga which I already knew I liked to Drum circles, to hiking to anything that sounded remotely interesting. I didn't have any friends but for one, maybe I'd meet people too. (I also had tried to get a desk job in that time but my health couldn't handle it, it made me worse, which sucked because I LOVED my job). I also found an amazing volunteer gig, I adore animals but I knew I couldn't volunteer at an animal shelter because I'd bring them all home with me. But a wonderful lady let me volunteer at her mini horse farm, helping to groom the horses. Finally, life was looking up, I had hope for my future, it was looking happy. Two Zebras I never did get to go to any of the meet up groups and I got to groom the horses just twice. I started losing my peripheral vision and getting horrible headaches. My mom had been having a really weird feeling in her hand and had started falling. On the very same day, April 21, 2016 we were both diagnosed with a rare disease, she was diagnosed with ALS -Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.....100% terminal. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, or what used to be known as Pseudotumor, basically my spinal fluid was putting too much pressure on my brain and optic nerves and mimicking a tumor. I needed brain sugery to put in a shunt or I would continue to lose my vision. On the way home from the ALS clinic one day, while sitting at a red light, we were hit from behind by a driver that was distracted, never saw the line of cars stopped, never slowed down, hit the brakes etc. Hit us at about 40MPH while we were stopped. He actually lifted our car up, went underneath us and it turned into a four car pile up. Thankfully, I wasn't looking in the rear view mirror so I didn't see it coming and because he never hit his brakes we didn't hear it coming so we didn't tense up, not that my mom could have tensed up much at that point. I was looking at her when we were hit, I watched her fold in half around her seatbelt. We were hit so hard that our glasses flew off of our faces. Our injuries were very minor, we were so lucky, but it was a stressor and you know what that does to an already sick body. The Final Blows In October I went in for my surgery, I was to stay one night. The night before the surgery I called my Gram to say hi before the surgery, we said "I love you" and hung up the phone. Surgery went well, I was up walking before they expected me to and was turning down morphine in favor of IV Tylenol. I also got my lost vision back, which was not expected. The next morning my husband came to pick me up and he had this look on his face, I knew something was wrong. I teased him, asking if he had gotten a ticket, he is notorious for speeding. He said no and didn't crack a smile, immediately I said my mom and he said no, and then he said the last thing I was expecting to hear "Gram died". The rest is a bit fuzzy, my world fell apart, I pushed him away, I think I almost punched him, a lot of crying and sobbing, but I just remember telling them "I have to go, I have to get to my mom"....the rest of the day was a blur. A couple of weeks later my daughter got pneumonia and ended up in the hospital, my husband who has been struggling with addiction issues for years relapsed and went to rehab and to top it off my daughter brought home lice from school. The surgeon had done such a good job at making sure the spot he shaved could be covered, oh the irony, I had to shave my whole head because the chemicals in the lice treatment were to caustic to use so soon after surgery. Then, my Uncle, who had been battling cancer died in December. He was supposed to be getting a treatment to help kick cancers ass but he caught a cold and it gave the cancer the upper hand. He was the best Uncle you could hope for. He would steal my veggies off my plate and eat them for me when my mom wasn't looking.... I was supposed to be fully recovered from my surgery by now but I wasn't, I was SO tired, so exhausted. I was having a lot of dizziness , palpitations, my heart was beating so fast and if I stood too long (more than a minute or so) I would shake. We all thought that it was just a slow recovery and all of the stress. We Were Wrong By February I was pretty much bed bound, other than going to visit my mom and go to my doctors appointments. My blood pressure would go as low as 50/34 and my heart rate would go as high as 179. My doctor gave up on trying to find out what was wrong with me and was pretty mad when I refused to let it go, she thought that we should just treat my symptoms. I'm very stubborn but it was because of my stubborness and my love of research and being able to stay grounded and not go from headache to tumor in three clicks of the mouse that I was able to find my own diagnosis and she begrudgingly agreed and I now see an Electrophysiologist. I have Postural Orthotstatic Tachycardia Syndrome. I am part of the 25% that is severly disabled because of it. No one knows exactly what causes it but there are theories that brain injury and trauma could be one cause. When they put a shunt in your brain they have to drill into your skull and make a spot in your brain for the tubing, so essentially they are causing trauma. So could that be it, who knows? They also don't know who will get better and who won't , some people do get better although they tend to be younger patients, some patients get worse, some get a bit more functional and some just stay the same. There is no one treatment that works for everyone and sometimes none of the treatments work for someone. I've been having luck with a few medicines and saline infusions but I am still bed bound. My headaches from the Intracranial Hypertension have unfortunately gotten worse but my vision is still good to go, the headaches tend to happen with the barometic pressure changes. If you want to know if we are going to have precipitation in the next 24 hours or so, I'm your girl. My mom, she is still with us although I thought we might lose her over the weekend to a really bad cold. Each day we have with her is borrowed time at this point. I Won't Say That There is Always a Reason But I Will Say I won't say that things always happen for a reason, I'm not sure that they do. But I will say that when things happen, you can always find a lesson in them if you choose to. Sometimes the pain overwhelms us and we just curl up in a ball and don't want to find a lesson, we don't want to learn anything, we just want to say F the world and lay there and cry. I understand that, I most definitely understand that but that thing that has happened, that has you feeling so defeated, it's happened whether or not you've learned anything from it. I look for the lesson because it's valuable, I might not be able to use what I learn today but in the future I might. In the future maybe I can help someone else with the knowledge that I've gained and if I've done that then that terrible thing I went through has meaning. It wasn't all for nothing, something good came out of the bad. You have three choices when you get knocked down, you can stay down, you can get up and dust yourself off and push forward or you can get up, dust yourself off and reach a hand out to the help the person the was down behind you. It's a choice. The bad stuff is going to happen no matter what choice you make. There are days I feel defeated, days I cry and wonder what the point of it all is, days I feel like I am just existing and then there are days when I get messages or comments on my Instagram telling me that I give them hope, or I made them laugh when they were having a really bad day or thanking me for taking time out to talk to them. That is when I am reminded what my purpose in this life is. To learn lessons and help others because that in turn helps me. So to everyone out there struggling, I know it's hard, I know you want to give up sometimes, heck, even most of the time but don't. DO let the bad things define you, but not in a negative way, in a, here is my scar, I showed up, sort of way.

Who am I? My name is Kate Walker and I am 14 years old. However, I am not your average 14 year old. When I was a kid, I was always a bit clumsy. It took me forever to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels, I never could roller skate, and my running was never the most graceful thing in the world. In the seventh grade, I had the opportunity to go on a class trip to Washington D.C. While I was there, I noticed that I could not keep up with my friends. My balance had always been off, but we thought that I just hadn't grown out of the awkward stage yet. When I got back from the trip, my parents took me to the doctor. We were just hoping to get physical therapy to help solve all of this. However, this doctor sent us to a neurologist. He wanted to make sure that nothing else was going on. The neurologist ordered an MRI and then sent us to a pediatric neurologist. The pediatric neurologist ordered blood work, which gave me the final diagnosis of Friedreich's Ataxia. I was devastated. I felt like I was alone and that there was no one else in the world that could ever understand what I was going through. What is Friedreich's Ataxia? Friedreich's Ataxia is a rare, degenerative, neuromuscular condition. It is caused by one recessive gene. FA only occurs in 15,000 people in the whole world. Some of the symptoms are loss of balance and coordination, severe scoliosis, loss of hearing and sight, diabetes, heart condition, and slurred speech. FA gets worse over time, so patients eventually lose the ability to walk. You can find more information about FA on my website, makeithappencurefa.com. What did I do? For a few months after my diagnosis, I shut down. Only my family and a few of my close friends knew about what was happening. In October of 2016, my parents attended a research symposium and bike race to support FA research. They returned with the news that there was an entire community out there that was ready to let me in. It took me a while to get comfortable, but I still did not want anyone to know about what I was going. My parents bought me a recumbent tricycle. I never could ride a bike much as a kid, so I loved having the opportunity to finally enjoy the ride. Currently, I can still walk, but I use a walker on occasion. On January 22, 2017, I launched an Instagram and Facebook page to raise awareness for FA. I participated in a bike ride in April and raised $28,000 for FA research. During those few months, I worked so hard to spread the word about FA to anyone and everyone. Then, in August, I launched my own website. I started a blog page and shared my story as much as I could. What I've Learned 1. Disability does not define me. 2. People are going to react how I react. 3. The only thing that can change my attitude is myself. 4. I can do anything. 5. Nothing worth doing comes easy. 6. Life is about learning to turn a negative situation into a positive one. #curefa

UGA Christmas One tradition I celebrate during the holidays with my friends and family is UGA Christmas. Every year on December 23rd, we have my mom's college roomates Amber and Stefanie and our friends come over to mom's house for our annual UGA christmas get together. We call it "UGA Christmas" because mom, Amber, and Stefanie all went to the University of Georgia. Most of us are UGA football fans except for my brother. It's stressful for my mom getting the house ready, but it's so much fun hanging out, talking, and catching up. Mom is usually working on preparing dinner when everybody starts arriving and I catch up with my buddy Jared until dinner is ready. Then we eat dinner at the kitchen table and in the living room. After dinner, we will all gather in the living room for dessert and to open presents. Once we finish dessert and opening presents, we take a group picture and sometimes watch marching band videos on Youtube. Christmas Eve For as long as I can remember, we have always gone up to my great grandmother's house on Christmas Eve except this year because Grannie Jo was recovering from the flu. Anyway, normally on Christmas Eve, my mom, brother, and I go up to Grannie Jo's house in Tate, GA, and spend time with Grannie Jo, my Cousin Chris, his wife Tanya, and their son Lucas, Aunt Linda, my Uncle Ryan, and sometimes cousin Chloe. We eat food, spend time together, and open presents. Christmas Day Christmas Day starts by spending the morning with mom and opening stockings and presents with her. Then dad picks my brother and I up at noon to spend Christmas and New Year's at his house with him, my stepmom, and stepsisters. Once we get to dad's house, we'll normally start by snacking on appetizers and opening our stockings. I'm not sure how long we've been doing it, but when it comes to the stockings, we decided that everyone in the family pick someone else's name and whoever you picked, you had to buy and wrap whatever they wanted in their stocking. After we open stockings, we relax for a few hours and then have dinner before opening presents. After dinner and before we open presents, we'll pray about Jesus being born and also read the part in the bible regarding his birth. Once we do that, presents are distributed one at a time and once everyone gets a present that's addressed to them from whoever, we open them and continue that pattern until there aren't any presents left under the tree. New Year's Eve Every year on New Year's Eve, my stepmom's friends Matthew and Julia and their son Dominic come over to our house to celebrate with us. We'll usually eat snacks, play games, watch tv, and if a college football team is playing in a bowl game, I'll sometimes keep track of the score online. Around midnight, we'll sometimes turn on the tv to watch the Times Square ball drop or a channel similar to that. Once the clock hits midnight, we'll excitedly say "Happy New Year" to each other. Even though I'm sometimes usually upstairs in my bedroom by the time it happens, it's still exciting. Last year, I posted pictures from throughout the year on Facebook. I think I'm gonna do it again this year, and will possibly continue it in the future. I'll probably call it my "Social media New Year memories tradition" or something similar to that.