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Humbly Courageous
Hi, I’m Amy. I live life with a condition called Bethlem Myopathy which is a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. I like to help others by showing how I live well with a debilitating condition. I was born with this disease, so it’s the only way I know life. I continue to work on embracing myself and using that to help others.

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Hope Infusion #10

Hello and welcome to another week at Humbly Courageous. I am so glad you are here!

Today, I completed my 10th stem cell treatment. Many often ask me how it’s going. “Are the treatments helping?” I always say, “I think so?” I guess it depends on what one’s definition of “helping” is. 


No, I’m not leaps and bounds better, and a ton stronger. Some days, I do question if they are really helping or not. I still have many difficult days, when it feels like the weakness is winning, and I’m a prisoner to its demands.

However, when my husband sends me a graph of my progress in the pool, tracking my thrice-weekly pool running workouts, I can see with my own eyes that my exercise progress has stayed very steady. It’s even improved in the last few months since my last treatment. I rarely miss a workout for anything. 


I also recently tackled “the big hill” just before I turned 50. I had a little doubt going into it, but I got it done! That seems telling.


Just a few days ago I went golfing with my husband and my son. I used to golf when I was younger. Not competitively by any means, but I guess well enough to enjoy it. I had a dependable friend that I played with, and he carried my clubs, as well as his, when we would play. All I had to do was walk the course, show up to hit the ball, so that was very helpful. This time, I was impressed I could still balance enough to hit the ball. That surprised me. I was so glad I tried it again. By no means could I play every ball, but still, I’m so grateful to be able to do that with them!


Other than that, I’m still keeping up with all I have to do at home, as well as writing, managing my doctor appointments, therapies and enjoying the summer.

It takes humble courage to walk by faith, but I find that, for me, that is my only choice. I have to keep trying, keep going. If I stop, I fear I may never get going again. So, rest I will, but stop I won’t. If getting some stem cells that were grown from my own body gives me a peace of mind and a glimmer of hope at this point in my life, I’m going to do it. 

Check out my weekly column “Disability in the City” in The Hamilton County Reporter.

More about my stem cell treatments 




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