Name: Clint Stewart

Age:31

Where do you call home? Houston, TX

Education: Bachelors' in Business/Communication from Grove City College (PA); Masters' in Business Administration from Mount Vernon Nazarene University (OH)

What is your relationship status? Who do you live with? I am very single and share an apartment with my dad and his girlfriend.

What's a typical day for you? I don't have many typical days.  I have a physical therapist visit twice a week, and volunteer at the local hospital, so it all depends on the day.

Are there any others with FA in your family? I am the only member of my family "lucky enough" to have FA.

Describe your transition from walking to walker/wheelchai: I was able to walk (shakily) through high school.  After graduation, I had my spinal fusion operation, which slowed me down a little.  Over the past 12 years, I have made the transition from occasionally standing to full-time wheelchair user.

What do you like to do to stay active and what type of exercises work for you to stay strong? To stay active I go to the gym at my apartment and lift weights sometimes, I am not a gym rat by any means, but those few exercises help my upper body strength.  My physical therapist focuses mostly on my legs and core with stretching and low-impact work.

Name: Joe Tyler

Age: 33

Where do you call home? Cincinnati, Ohio

Education: BS Finance from Saint Louis University

What is your relationship status? I’m engaged to Karen Ried.

What's a typical day for you? I am an Area Sales Manager for Hogan Truck Leasing. We assist companies with truck leasing needs, alternative financing, maintenance management, etc. My job requires me to regularly visit customer locations, tour our Cincinnati facility, etc.

How long have you known you are living with FA? Diagnosed in 2012, been showing balance issues since 2002.

Name: Donovan Simpson

Age: 18

Where do you call home? Yonkers, New York 

What grade are you in? What is your dream job? I’m a senior in high school and my dream job is to work in game design.

Who do you live with? My Mom and Dad.

What's a typical day for you? I go to school and I come home :) 

How long have you known you are living with FA? I started showing symptoms when I was like 5 and was diagnosed at six. 

Are there any others with FA in your family? No, just me. 

Describe an adaptation and/or transition you have had to take due to living with FA. When I was about 10, I  broke my right arm. Ever since then, I have been in a wheelchair.  

Name: Allison Dana

Age: 35

Where do you call home? Burlington, Vermont

Relationship status? Do you have children? Married for four years with three year old identical twin girls.

Occupation/Employment: Stay-at-home Mom.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine Technology.

How long have you been living (or known you are living) with Friedreich's Ataxia? I was 19 and a junior in college when I was diagnosed although looking back, I was showing symptoms about 16. Before I had the genetic test, I was taking Anatomy. The last section of the class was CNS (central nervous system). When I read the description of ataxia, I knew that's what I had. I didn't know what kind but found out it was FA a few months later when I got the results of the genetic test.