All AFO/orthotic wearers know how difficult it can be to find functional shoes for AFOs, and if you want style, then it can seem almost impossible. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent trying to find shoes that fit my AFO’s that actually look stylish.
Does anyone else wish we could press fast forward on Summer 2020?
With camps & pools closed & all summer activities canceled due to Coronavirus, our only real respite from the claustrophobia of quarantining for months indoors is time spent “socially distanced” in the great outdoors. So of course, it’s literally the most uncomfortable summer ever here in Michigan with weeks on end of 90+ degree temps & high humidity. Ugh! Can’t we catch a break?
Shoe shopping has always been difficult for me. I was born with classical Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and, along with faulty connective tissue and loose joints, I was born with flat feet. I have weak ankles, huge bunions on both big toes, crooked and curled smaller toes, stretched Achilles tendons, and a variety of other issues that make finding a comfortable, supportive, stylish pair of shoes about as easy as finding a double-rainbow.
As the Coronavirus continues to spread & most of us are stuck home doing our part by social distancing and trying our best to stay positive and sane, you may, like me, be feeling powerless and wishing you could do more to help.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from having a progressive chronic condition and disabilities, it’s that focusing on the things we can’t control is pointless and downright depressing. We will get through this together by staying positive and focusing on the things we can do right now for ourselves and each other.
I started performing standup comedy when I was 14. I was a huge fan of Gilda Radner, but when I saw Joan Rivers doing a set on the show Solid Gold, I knew I had found an outlet for my humor. I also knew that I would be considered too young to be taken seriously as a comic. In the mid-80’s young comics, let alone female comics, were a rare breed.
There’s a video of me at my third birthday party. I’ve watched it so many times, it’s almost my own memory. I’m Shirley Temple’s 1990s doppelgänger in a frilly dress, my blonde ringlets barely held back by a strand of yarn. In the small swath of thick carpet not covered in wrapping paper and new toys, I’m shuffling along in my very first pair of high heels.
When Lainie asked me to share my story about living with CMT I jumped at the chance. Then I realized that I have never shared my journey with having CMT. I struggled with this post for weeks because of that reason and decided that I will share with you all what I can.
As a person living with disabilities due to CMT Disorder, (read more about me here) the gifts I’ve curated below are ones that I want (hopefully my family reads my blogs?) and that I would be blown away to receive. Although some of the items may have a higher price tag than usual, their reported impact on some (real) reviewers lives has been life-changing. And, ‘‘tis the season to splurge, anyway, right?
I received two pairs of Revere Shoes at no charge & will get a small commission should you decide to use the links provided in this post. I created Trend-ABLE to help empower orthosis wearers & others with invisible disabilities to look & feel their best. All opinions are always my own.
Hello, I’m Christy from sunny San Diego, California. I was the first in my family to be diagnosed with Charcot Marie Tooth at the tender age of 16. CMT is a progressive disease that affects the lining of the nerves controlling the outer limbs.
A necessary evil is something that must be done or accepted in order to achieve a better outcome. Basically, it’s a scary and/or unenjoyable act that sucks in the moment, but the consequences of not doing it can suck way more than the act itself.
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