For most people with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) life starts looking a little different around ages 10 to 15, right between elementary and early high school.
It starts innocently enough. Maybe tripping or falling more frequently. Unsteady posture. Increased clumsiness. At first, many chalk it up to adolescence, growth spurts, or rapid development that will simply correct itself with time. Only things don’t get better as the weeks and months go by – things just seem to get worse.
And then comes the diagnosis of FA, a genetic, progressive, neurodegenerative movement disorder. Essentially, ataxia results in an unsteady gait and poor control of fine movements of the limbs. But it’s not just arms and legs that are impacted – affected muscles in the mouth and throat can lead to slurred speech and impaired swallowing.
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