Humbly Courageous

Hello and welcome to Humbly Courageous. I’m glad you stopped by. I have a lot of new readers, so I’m so glad you are here! This little blog is proof that one small voice can make a big difference. I’ve been writing weekly posts for over two years, and have enjoyed watching this space grow and getting a lot of positive feedback. I’m excited for what’s to come! If you are new here, I do SVF stem cell therapy. They are cells taken from my own body and processed (obviously there is a more involved description) and infused back into me. The hope is that they could possibly slow my progressive muscle disease, and maybe I could even gain some new strength. To some, the progress may be hard to see because in a way it is slight, but when I do a side by side comparison of me walking up a set of stairs, it’s hard to deny that there has not been some improvement. It’s certainly not life changing, but any ounce of extra strength I can get at this point in my life is a blessing. I’m two years into t

Hello and welcome to Humbly Courageous which is a series of past and current life stories, as a woman who has lived her life with a disability. Sometimes, my posts are happy and upbeat and encouraging, and others like the one you are about to read, are an example of the social injustices I face regularly as a disabled woman. I like to keep thing’s positive and upbeat, but as you know life just isn’t always that way.  Sitting looks very different than when I walk  To the woman who treated me so cruelly just because she judged a book by it's cover.... I guess you'll never know how deeply your mean stare and unkindness towards me hurt my heart. I guess you didn't see me struggling to carry three small grocery bags to the car while walking with my cane. You couldn't have possibly known the thoughts going through my head as I was putting my cart away and getting ready to make the short trek to my car. The conversation going on in my head went something like this.....Am I goi

Hello and welcome! I hope it’s been a good week for you. If you have been around here for awhile, you probably get that I am a very schedule/routine oriented person. If I get thrown out of my routine I struggle. I worry. I get anxious. Part of that is because of my disability, and all the mental planning that goes into my daily activities because it has to. That’s how I function. That’s how I stay physically safe when things are well thought out. The other part, I guess, is it is just what I enjoy. Maybe because I have to? Who knows? I often assume that I don’t have to state the obvious when I am writing about ways that I like to stay positive in the face of adversity. Living with Muscular Dystrophy is daunting. Everything I do physically feels hard. My muscles  are very weak, and it affects everything I do. Not looking for pity, just understanding. I’ve learned to live with it. It’s all I have ever known. I get frustrated sometimes when I think about how most people don’t understand.

Hello, welcome to another week here at Humbly Courageous! I hope you are all making your way through this winter! In Indiana there seems to definitely be an endless string of dreary days. I feel like I’m not as affected as others I know that are very depressed by the lack of sunshine. However, when the sun comes out and it is so beautiful, I think to myself, I may be more affected than I think I am! It’s always so nice to see the sun even when it’s cold out.  I’ve written blog posts about my two sons before. I’ve shared that I carried each of my boys to full term and delivered them both by cesarean section. I’ve shared what it was like to be pregnant with a disability and what that looked like for me. They are the true joys of my life. I credit them for my drive to stay motivated to push myself. I asked them both if they would be willing to share their thoughts this week on what it has been like having a mom with a disability. I felt their perspective could be helpful to others in a si