My story begins with my mom.

I am the youngest of three daughters, born to the most amazing mother. Like me, she was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. When my older sisters were young, she lived a very active life despite her diagnosis. The one major adjustment she made was choosing not to drive because of her slower response time.

Everything changed during her pregnancy with me. Her CMT progressed rapidly, and her doctors told her she would never walk again after I was born. But my mom refused to let that define her. She faced her disability and the daily pain with incredible determination, choosing every day to keep moving forward instead of giving up.

She taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life: CMT is something we live with, but it does not define who we are.

I am a wife, a mother of three, and a proud Mimi to four wonderful grandchildren. My husband and I have been married for 35 years, and I have been incredibly blessed to spend most of those years at home raising our children and later helping care for our grandbabies.

I also work part-time as an event planner for our local church, where I have the privilege of organizing church and community events. It is work that brings me so much joy.

As my CMT continues to progress, I find myself needing more assistance during these events than I once did. My hope is that, with Tank by my side as my mobility service dog, I will be able to continue serving my church and community doing what I love for many years to come.