On 25th September it is ataxia awareness day. A few years ago I wouldn’t have known it or really cared but now I do.
Raising awareness of rare conditions is really important so people can understand a bit about what you’re dealing with. There are so many rare conditions you can’t expect everyone to know about every single one but if someone in your life is affected by one it helps them and you to understand it.
So in the run up to ataxia awareness day I urge you all to spend 5 minutes looking it up and learning a small bit about it.
A lack of awareness is so important; several times I was interrogated by bouncers or not allowed into venues because bouncers thought I was drunk.
Unfortunately this is not uncommon as the symptoms do resemble intoxication which has led to many shirts and resources with the slogan “I’m not drunk I have ataxia”
Ataxia is often referred to as the love child of MS and Parkinson’s in an attempt to get people to understand it and how it affects someone. The main relation is it’s a progressive neurological condition. The symptoms can change from person to person including the rate of progression but the one thing they all have in common is a reduction of balance and coordination.
So today visit one of these organisations and do a bit of learning.
Ataxia UK
National Ataxia Foundation
Or even a visit to a Wikipedia page will increase your knowledge.
How Rare? 