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The SMA News Today Podcast Episode 12: Kristin Walters
In the latest episode of the SMA News Today Podcast, I talk with Kristin Walters, an individual with SMA Type II from Austin, Texas.
During this interview, we talk about Kristin’s life growing up with SMA, her trip to France several years ago, her battles with depression and severe physical illnesses and her Spinraza treatments. We also discuss the recent Cure SMA conference in Dallas, Texas, which both of us attended.
Subscribe today to the SMA News Today Podcast for more stories like this. All episodes are available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Podbean and right here on our website at http://www.smanewstoday.com.
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4 Replies
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Great podcast Kevin! Kristin’s story is very relatable. Similar to her I was struggling with health issues prior to Spinraza. I still feel my health is somewhat delicate but it does give you that sense of having a safety net of sorts. For those who do not have access to Spinraza I hope they can look at all of her “pre-Spinraza” accomplishments and obstacles she’s overcome and be inspired as well.
I just wanted to touch on one topic she mentioned about physical therapy. Although I agree that with SMA over doing it isn’t good, I do think some therapy is beneficial just to use muscles we don’t normally use. If you’re not on Spinraza I think you have to look at it as maintenance not working to improve. If you’re on Spinraza, or another upcoming treatment, then maybe challenge yourself. Just my opinion of course.
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Thanks! Yeah it was pretty remarkable hearing her story. Hopefully things like Spinraza are decreasing our risk of severe health issues.
And I do agree that physical therapy is important for us, with or without Spinraza. As I’ve talked about before, it took me a while to get back into it and my doctors had to really bug me. I’m glad I went through with it though. I’ve been doing water therapy for the past few years, and I love it. Do what works for you, and stick with it.
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That was a fantastic interview Kevin. Kristin sounds like she is very well-adjusted. Those of us with SMA can learn so much from others like Kristin, and listening to her story reminded me of my childhood. If the Cure SMA Conference did anything for me, it made me more aware of the reasons why we have so much to look forward to.
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Thanks Michael! And yeah absolutely. It’s an exciting time for the SMA community, and I’m glad you had a great time at the conference as well.
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