Although sitting in an airport, riding on 2 planes in 1 day, all to hang out in a hospital all day, isn’t my ideal Friday, I am thankful for today. I am thankful for this opportunity. I am humbled by the fundraising efforts that make clinical trials possible. I am proud to be part of the efforts to find a cure for Friedreichs Ataxia not only for myself, but for my community. I’m scared to see my symptom progression quantified during my physical exam. I can’t believe that this

Today, I learned that a new symptom associated with Friedreich's Ataxia has reared it’s ugly head and is here to stay. Peripheral Neuropathy. I have been experiencing a lot of new, painful, debilitating, and saddening symptoms in my toes lately. It seems so silly to get down about something as small as my toes, but what can I say - I'm only human and I can only take so much. Main takeaways from my appointment with the podiatrist are: The pain and blisters will subside with pr

My whole life I have LOVED swimming. It has always been a huge part of my life. Even after my Friedreich's Ataxia diagnosis, I kept swimming for exercise. I even waddled my pregnant self to swim laps when I was pregnant with Brooks. I kept up with swimming (as much as a new mom's schedule allows for exercise) after Brooks. Then FA made it too hard. Getting in and out of the gym pool by myself got dangerous and frustrating. So, as I am ashamed to admit, I quit. I was so angry

My kids are SUPER into hide and seek right now. They play it with Kyle for about 45 minutes every night after dinner. Hearing their giggles and excited screams fills my heart with pure JOY! These are the silly moments I’m going to remember of their childhood. However, I’m in an internal war. I’m so angry at my body for not allowing me to participate in these shenanigans. I can’t get into a spot quickly enough and all my “hiding spots” are given away by my walker sitting right

“Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere. Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world — making the most of one’s best.” Harry Emerson Fosdick I never expected to be a disabled mom. But here I am, embracing my handicaps and making the most of my best. My walker allowed me to have a sweet moment with the most precious (smart, funny, stubborn, adora

When the world stopped for COVID19, Friedreichs Ataxia didn’t stop. My progression didn’t stop. However, physical therapy did. I missed going to PT for many reasons and my body paid the price for my forced 3-month hiatus. I did what I could at home. I kept moving, I kept exercising but it’s not the same. PT challenges and strengthens my whole body in a way that I can’t safely replicate at home. It felt SO GOOD to be back at PT today (missed you Kelli Lopez!) We have some grou

Today marks two years since I fell and obliterated my ankle. Friedreichs Ataxia won that day. I honestly thought that life as I knew it was over that day. I didn’t think I would ever walk again. My stubborn determination prevailed and I made a full recovery. I won. 9 months later, FA won again and I had to make the switch to using a mobility aid full time. It’s been a give and take every day since I was diagnosed in 2013. I tend to count every day without a fall a “victory.”

One unfortunate part of Friedreichs Ataxia is how it progressively affects all aspects of my body. Unfortunately, FA has taken hold of my feet . Feet are so important for those of us who have balance and coordination problems, they are our connection to the ground and our source of stability. Symptomatic FA feet are particularly cruel. FA patients lose sensation in our extremities, and it usually starts in our feet and hands. This makes balancing and walking even more difficu

Beautiful words from a beautiful friend who is also navigating this whole “being a mom with Friedreichs Ataxia gig.” Love you big Emily Penn Baudin: What’s it like being a disabled mom? Being a mom is hard. Shoot, being a parent is hard. But being a disabled mom is a different kind of hard. It’s hard on the mama heart. The other day Tye was running in the yard with Logan. And I couldn’t help the icky feeling of jealousy creep in my mind. I thought, I’ll never be able to do th

This was a few months before my Friedreichs Ataxia diagnosis. This season of sand volleyball is where I realized that something was not right with my body and began perusing medical answers about my failing balance and coordination. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a BLAST playing but that was such a scary and confusing time. I share this to remind you of a couple of things: 1. Be your own advocate. Only you know how you feel, and only you can determine what your “normal” is.

This is a major knock-on-wood statement but I firmly believe in celebrating the little things and I want to shout this from the rooftops: It has been 90 days since my last fall!!!! We still have a long way to go for a cure for Friedreichs Ataxia, but I will continue celebrating this crazy beautiful life as long as I can! #CureFA #GodIsGood #BabeWithAMobilityAid (throwing it back to our Italy trip, celebrating 10 years of marriage because this is the most recent solo pic I hav

Fellow Friedreichs Ataxia patients... looking for a way to see how your hand dexterity is affected? Cut a guys hair #SorryBabe don’t worry, his hair grows fast #CureFA

Today was our 7th annual rideATAXIA fundraising bike ride. We might not have been able to ride in Dallas today with the rest of the FA community, but that didn't stop us from celebrating a stellar 2020 on Team Kendall! Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who donated and supported me this year. We raised a total of $20,353 for Friedreich's Ataxia research! Team Kendall still rode today to honor all of the heartwarming support we've been shown as we raise awareness for

I’ve had a lot of friends reaching out to me about the Coronavirus and how I’m surviving our #Coronacation. As you likely know, I have Friedreichs Ataxia (FA). FA is a neuromuscular movement disease that progressively takes away my motor functions. My main symptoms are fatigue, loss of balance and coordination, poor dexterity and slow slurred speech. I was diagnosed with FA 7 years ago. I am learning more about FA every single day, be it through the Friedreichs Ataxia Researc

When we were on our way out the door to go to dinner, Collins petted the walker that I leave in the house and said, “Bye Snack Wagon! Thank you for helping my sweet little Mommy walk today!” Then gave it a kiss and skipped to the car. Man, I love her heart #CureFA #BabeWithAMobilityAid

I had my first encounter with a playground bully today. I took the kiddos to meet friends at a restaurant with a playground for lunch. When it was time to leave, I sat down on a chair around the play area to help Brooks put his shoes on. A toddler walked up and started pulling my walker away from me. I said “Oh sweetie, please bring that back to me!” She stopped, looked at me and said, “no!” Then she pulled my walker further away. I replied, “I need that to walk, I can’t come

Soaking in all the snuggles I can get with my baby girl (+ Winnie and Rapunzle) I had a pretty scary fall this afternoon while home alone with Collins. I think it really scared her to see Mommy fall like I did () Counting my blessings tonight, mainly: 1. Nothing is seriously injured. 2. My mom is amazing. I called her and she immediately drove over to help me up because I was too shaky and scared to try on my own 3. Kids are resilient. Nothing a little R&R can’t fix. 4. I am

One year ago today I made the decision to use my walker full time. I made that decision to preserve energy and (hopefully) prevent additional future catastrophic falls. What a year it’s been. Transitioning to full time walker use has been... a lot. It’s been heartbreaking and a relief. It’s been a nuisance and a big help. It’s been hard and it’s been natural. My walker now feels like an extension of me. It feels like a spare set of limbs, ready and able to support me 24/7. Ye

My marketing team is pretty stoked to unveil our new banner for #rideATAXIA 2020! #CureFA

Sometimes I wish I still lived in my 22 year old world where I’d never heard of Friedreichs Ataxia in 2010. I despise what FA has done to my body. But I am so proud of the way FA has mentally and spiritually shaped me. In the wise words of my friend @thewheelsammyrose , “One thing I’ve held onto is to let life change you. Even if it’s hard and not what you would choose for yourself. Resisting change is a battle no one wins.” My life is completely different from what I picture