Daily Living

MDA Hosting Four Webinars in August Aimed at Young Adults

Update (Aug. 22, 2012) — Links have been added to the archived versions of each webinar.

MDA’s public webinar series has a host of offerings in August for young adults with neuromuscular diseases who are interested in higher education and employment.

Free Eye Exams for Service Dogs in May

Update (June 22, 2012) — The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (AVCO) announced today that, with the help of 250 volunteer board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists, nearly 5,000 service animals were examined in the May 2012 event. Guide dogs, handicapped assistance dogs, detection dogs, search-and-rescue dogs and other service animals, including horses and a donkey, received free exams. ACVO plans to hold the event again in 2013.

Exercising with a Muscle Disease

Exercise: Love it. Hate it. Gotta do it.

In this series of articles, collected into the PDF below, Quest looks at the many sides of exercise for people with muscle diseases:

  • What does the research tell us?
  • Which types of exercises are OK and which aren’t, and how can you tell the difference?
  • What are other people doing — or not doing — and what are the results?
  • And of course, the ultimate question: Is it worth it?
Last Updated: 
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 10:50

Pregnancy and Childbirth with Neuromuscular Disease

Having a baby can be the most thrilling and rewarding experience of a woman’s life, yet it also can be fraught with fear and uncertainty. This is especially true for women with neuromuscular disease.

This special MDA report takes a look at the issues that arise for expectant mothers with muscle disease and finds that, with proper care and planning, these women are usually — although not always — able to have successful pregnancies and give birth to healthy children.

Last Updated: 
Thu, 07/01/2010 - 10:12

Just Go for It: Dating Webinar Offers Tips, Encouragement

If you have limited movement, how do you make the first move on a date? Is it OK to bring a personal care attendant on a date? At what point would you let a "significant other" provide personal care for you?

ABLE Act Would Help Families Plan for Child's Financial Future

Troy Ellis: Keeping the Faith Despite ALS

Saying Marvin “Troy” Ellis used to be an active guy would be an understatement. A brick mason by day, the Madisonville, Ky., resident typically was up before the crack of dawn to do the first of his two-a-day workouts. A former high school star athlete, he spent his work days on construction sites, laying brick and pouring concrete. Then on weekends, he’d clean up and put on the clothes of his other profession, an ordained Baptist minister.

MDA Transitions Summit: Breaking Down the Barriers

When Angela Wrigglesworth, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a power chair, first started college at Texas A&M, she planned to be a business major. 

Getting to the business school, however, involved crossing a set of train tracks, and one day, Wrigglesworth’s chair got struck on the tracks.

Wrigglesworth received help from bystanders to free her 300-pound chair before a train came along, but after that harrowing experience, she decided to change majors.

Travis: I Got Lots of Neat Stuff (bilingual)

Dear Parents:

As the mother of a child with muscular dystrophy, I know very well the concerns and hopes you have for your child. I'm happy to share with you this version of Travis: I Got Lots of Neat Stuff, written in Spanish and English.

I was inspired to write this book by my son, Travis. I hope that reading about his joy in living will be meaningful for you and your child.

My family and I are deeply grateful to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for all the support and hope it provides as we live with dystrophy every day.

Last Updated: 
Sat, 08/01/2009 - 15:30

Jason Peck: Artist with DM Teaches Others Online

Jason Peck’s memory of his childhood has some missing images: running, jumping, swinging, and sliding into home.

Although Peck, who received a dermatomyositis diagnosis at age 4, missed out on playing ball in the backyard with his buddies, he discovered early on that he had a talent his speedy friends didn’t — the ability to draw rather well. And he’s never looked back.

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