Meet People with FA

Mary

I was diagnosed in 1992, at the age of 21. Fear of my future began ruling my thoughts, as a wheelchair in my future did not fit the expectations I had for myself. I, like many others, go to the doctors wanting the "magic pill" to take, so the symptoms will dissipate, but when you learn there is no "magic pill" to take you are overwhelmed with emotions. There is such a variation in the way the disease manifests within a person that it is imperative to focus on the here and now, and to deal with things as they come, an attitude all should have about life regardless of FA.

I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and worked for five years at the community mental health clinic. I had an accessible house built in 2000, allowing me to keep my independence in doing things I enjoy, such as cooking, gardening and crafts. I live my life as if I don't have FA. I just do things differently, or more time consuming. "Where there is a will, there is a way", is a famous quote I live by. You were given the gift of life, so might as well make the best of it!