Book Is a Tribute to the Lady in the Pink Dress
The North Carolina Museum of Art has a few paintings by Andrew Wyeth. One of them is “Weather Side,” which depicts a side of the house where Christina Olson lived. Olson…
Young Lee, — 
Articles by Young Lee
Thinking about ‘Christina’s World’ and CMT
Until recently, I never took anything written by art critics personally. But a few weeks ago I started reading criticism of Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World.” With each critique, it was as if I were looking…
A Graphic Novel Reminded Me of My Childhood Perspective of CMT
Through her loosely autobiographical graphic novel, “El Deafo,” author Cece Bell introduces readers to her childhood self as she tries to navigate her way through relationships and hijinks at school while managing her deafness. I write “loosely” because Bell…
Having Those Awkward Conversations About CMT
“I like your shirt.” I didn’t expect to hear such a comment while wearing my Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA) T-shirt. It happened twice in the past two months, and when I turned around I didn’t find a fellow CMTer, a…
My Footprints Are Reminders of My Weakness
I leave strange footprints. Luckily, I usually walk on solid ground and don’t need to think about them. Most days, I only encounter paved streets and driveways, carpeted floors, and grassy fields. And I like that. After all, anything that can assist with stability is…
Thoughts on CMT and ‘Askew’
“Askew,” a work of art by American painter and sculptor Roxy Paine, stands just outside the West Building at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It’s an almost 50-foot, tree-like metal structure, with a trunk and…
Reflections on Lessons Learned from Friends with Different Disabilities
At the start of 2019, I knew little about Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). My lack of knowledge about the disease meant that I had gaps in understanding of myself, a person with CMT, and a beneficiary of a wider disability rights movement. I owe much of my growth this year…
It’s Time to Call CMT by Its Name
Tina Trahan said she was sitting in a parking lot in May 2015 when she cried out to God, asking him to give her cancer. Cancer, she thought, offered a greater chance of survival than what a neurologist had just told her she had —…
Trying Meditation as a Form of Self-care
A high school Spanish teacher introduced me to the practice of meditation. A few times a semester, he would begin or end his class with it. During these sessions, he would suggest that my classmates and I sit in a relaxed position, head on our desks or back straight, with…
Adjusting My Diet to Better Manage CMT
September is CMT Awareness Month, and my social media feeds have been flooded with inspirational quotes and infographics related to Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). It’s rare that one of these posts gives me information I hadn’t heard before, but one infographic caught me…