Katie is a Wisconsin girl at heart who strives to paint with her words, illustrating a soulful connection with nature and inclusive outdoor adventure. She was diagnosed with SMA Type II during toddlerhood. With a background in human development and family studies, she finds fulfillment in encouraging others to embrace their distinctive beauty. When she’s not engaging in advocacy or writing, you’ll likely find her hiking an accessible trail, adoring a sunset, or eating a s’more somewhere. She has three companions who hold her heart — two of which travel by paws (the other has human feet). Follow her story on Instagram @wheelprintsalongthewildflowers.
In North America, where I reside, an equilibrium springs forth this time of year. Because of the spring equinox, the dance of dominance between daylight and nightfall is at a point of viridescent intermission. The sleep-wake cycle rises and sets in mutual agreement. Together, the crescent moon and diluted sun…
I haven’t mentioned this to you yet, but I’ve decided to go on safari. Wheeling through bristled grasslands and sprawling wilderness, I’ll breathe in the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes of a new adventure. If you’d like to be my companion, come along with me on the first installment…
I gotta go climb some mountains, and I gotta do it now. That was the thought I focused on as I emerged from the pulmonary unit waiting room, weaving my wheelchair among sandstone fabric chairs arranged in a labyrinth of novice scale. Another six-month checkup appointment with pulmonary function…
I’ve done it yet again. I’ve fallen in love at first sight. (Would you expect anything less of an Aquarius?) I’ve been searching for a new bedroom vanity that better suits my physical needs during my morning and evening routines. Finding new, functional furniture can be a…
I was once a rare traveler wandering the countryside. On my shoulders, I carried a basket of artifacts and relics. Each piece correlated to moments in my life when I’ve felt something within my heart — things both small or grand, benevolent or wicked — falling deep and deliberate like…
I could tell you this year has been difficult for me, and I’m certain you’d reply with a swift hitchhiker’s thumb and a comment to the effect of, “Yeah? Welcome to reality. Back of the line, lady.” A perfectly understandable response. To your point, I’ll quietly make my way to…
I’m a groundhog. Well, symbolically, I’m a groundhog. I emerged from my burrow on Groundhog Day, 1986. I’m reminded of this each year my birthday rolls around, when my mom recollects her story about being in labor with me as the hourglass sands of Feb. 1 dwindled, and I…
When I say, “I don’t need my SMA to be fixed,” I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Last month, I set sail with my first dose of the new disease-modifying therapy Evrysdi (risdiplam). It was a choice that required careful consideration of my options and…
It cried out in the dead of night. The wild call erupted like the sensual panic of a volcano beneath placid moonlight. My partner, Andy, was helping me get situated in bed for the night when the startling sound rang from the woodland edge outside our bedroom window. “That’s…
When each human is born, a map of ethereal territories is drawn up in a distinct way. For every passing minute and hour within a calendar date, an interior designer of celestial proportions is commissioned to align the stars, planets, and moon in a timeless fashion. Like the swinging…
