When it comes to doing cardio at the gym, I’ve always preferred the stationary bike to the treadmill. I have yet to fall off a stationary bike, but I’ve fallen off a treadmill several times in my life. “Heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe-toe. Wait, that’s not right!” “Heel-toe, heel-ankle. Ouch!”…

With great effort, a woman pulls herself up from a wheelchair and into the back seat of a car. Her body is weak, and she can’t seem to move her legs. She wasn’t always like this, though, unable to walk and barely able to fight. No, she was once a…

There was a time during my childhood when in my mind, I was “Braces Boy” — part boy, part brace. I was in middle school and already wearing ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) to help with my ankles, which were and continue to…

Growing up with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, I had no idea that other people — including celebrities — might have it. I rarely heard of a celebrity with a disability when I was young. These days, famous people with chronic illnesses and disabilities are much more visible. I recently learned that…

It’s hard to believe that we are in a new decade. I have grown and changed so much in the last 10 years. Looking back, I am amazed at how far I have come. A decade ago, I wasn’t so open about my Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). I told some people close…

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…

I recently read an article in the Virginia Journal of Education that made me think about my feelings toward my mobility aids. The author, Kelly Hickok, is a wheelchair user, and she described how mobility aids give her a sense of freedom. She wrote, “We don’t view our wheelchairs…

“Maybe there will be others at the conference who will commiserate with me,” my sister said as we sat among our bags at gate B6 in Detroit’s Metro Airport. Despite being prechecked by the Transportation Security Administration hours earlier at John Glenn International in Columbus, Ohio, my sister…

For the first time, I posted a picture of me with my cane and braces on social media. And guess what? No one even noticed. This is a big deal. I talk about Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) and my ankle-foot orthoses, but showing the world is scary. People can be cruel…

“Are those rattlesnake protectors?” I am getting used to the stares and comments about my ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs), but this one kind of threw me for a loop. I just looked at the gentleman for a minute before I realized he was talking about my Arizona Braces. My not-so-thought-out…