Sean Sommerville

Hello my name is Sean Sommerville. I started experiencing symptoms of FA in high school while I was pursuing my dream of becoming a professional pilot. It wasn’t until after my freshman year in college that I decided I wanted to get my poor balance looked at by a professional. After a year of being poked and zapped more times than I can remember, I finally got diagnosed with FA.

The diagnosis was one of the hardest things to come to terms with in my life. While that diagnosis took me out of the cockpit, I still earned my commercial pilots license with single engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument ratings, as well as my certified flight instructors certificate all while experiencing symptoms of FA. I hope to one day return to the cockpit when a cure is reached, but in the meantime I will do all that I can to help my fellow FAers, raise awareness and money for this disease, and push my own limits biking, hiking, and facing the physical challenges that FA comes with to prove to myself that it won’t keep me down.