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Day 3 of #31DaysofSMA: Instead of a Horse, I Got a Wheelchair
Stéphanie Houvet has SMA Type 3 and lives with her parents in France. She writes about navigating adulthood, her education and career, and managing daily life.
When she was young, Stéphanie dreamed of having a horse and learning to ride. Instead, she got a wheelchair, which became a vessel of freedom and independence for her.
Here’s an excerpt, “My family and SMA have taught me to be resilient, fight for my needs, and listen to my body. School was one story, but finding work is a whole other one. Life can be difficult whether or not you are disabled; you just have to do your best.”
Do you have any takeaways from Stéphanie’s story?
SMA News Today’s 31 Days of SMA campaign will publish one story per day for SMA Awareness Month in August. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofSMA, or read the full series.
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2 Replies
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Stories like Stéphanie’s remind us that yes, there are struggles while dealing with SMA. Sometimes I feel like it’s more difficult as an adult with a disability than it was when I was a kid. I can relate to the aging parent aspect she talked about as well. Regardless of the hardships though, like she has, I have my own interests that I’m passionate about. My ancestry has Czech ties too, so that’s kind of fun. I even call my cat kočka (pronounced like kuchka I think.) That’s Czech for cat.
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Echoing everything DeAnn has said. I really resonated with Stéphanie’s story and share her struggles. If only there were a roadmap to navigating adulthood with SMA.