Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance

Meet the Community

You are not alone. The entire FA community, also known as the FAmily, is taking this journey with you. Meet a few of our dynamic people with FA below. New Meet the Community interviews are posted every Monday, so be sure to visit often. Please e-mail info@curefa.org if you would like to be interviewed for a Meet the Community post.

FARA Ambassadors

The FARA Ambassadors are a group of people living with FA who are committed to supporting FARA in the search for a treatment and cure. They represent the community by speaking at events, meeting pharmaceutical partners, giving media interviews, and more.

Meet the FAmily!

Dragana Obadić

Dragana 1 Name: Dragana Obadić

Age: 32

Where do you call home? I grew up in a small town called Glina, and after college I moved to Čakovec, Croatia.

Education (degree(s): I graduated from the Faculty of Management in Tourism and Hospitality with a master of economics degree.

Who do you live with? I live with my husband.

What's a typical day for you? I worked at the hotel reception. Currently I am on sick leave because I was researching what was wrong with me because of my walking difficulty. Right now I'm more dedicated to myself - I do exercises every day and occasional walks, but my husband is always with me. At the end of the day, I like to watch sitcoms or good movies with my husband. We have two dogs that we take care of.

Goran Kovačić

Goran 1 Name: Goran Kovačić

Age: 34

Where do you call home? Samobor, Croatia

Education (degree(s): High school

Who do you live with? My parents

What's a typical day for you? Training, work, walk every day for a minimum of 2 km with assistance.

Justin Potter

Name: Justin Potter

Age: 24

Where do you call home? South Jersey

Education (degree(s): I have my High School diploma. I tried community college but school just isn’t my thing! I have worked in security and am trying to get certified in IT work.

Who do you live with? I live with my grandfather, one of my younger brothers, and my dog Marley.

What's a typical day for you? Wake up in the morning, eat something, shower, and go on with the day however it goes. Whether it's different appointments or anything in general.

Sule

Sule 1 Name: Sule

Age: 24 years old

Where do you call home? I live in Kayseri, Turkey.

Education (degree(s): I have a license in classroom teaching. I need to take one more exam for my job. I am also attending school.

Who do you live with? I live with my parents.

What's a typical day for you? I work all day long. First work, then studying. I admit it’s as tiring as it sounds, but I like to keep myself active.

Jean Walsh

Jean 1 Name: Jean Walsh

Age: 59

Where do you call home? Northern Massachusetts

Education (degree(s): I have two master's degrees: one in community social psychology and the other in social work.

Who do you live with? I live with my husband of, gulp, almost 27 years and our two dogs. One is my sweet service dog Wendy and the other is our kind of obnoxious pet, Sadie.

What's a typical day for you? I am not working right now. I am trying to stay focused on being as healthy as I can. So a lot of the day is working out and trying to eat clean. But I also do FARA Ambassador things and am a member of my city’s Commission on Disability Issues trying to make my city accessible.