Name: Carrie Bolinger
Age: 44
Where do you call home? Montana
What is your education? What is a current goal you have with your education? How will FA add to your career? I have a Bachelor of Science in accounting, and FA will have limited impact on my career.
Who do you live with? I just moved in with my Dad, so that we can help each other. I spent the last 8 years living very independently.
What’s a typical day for you? I get up and go downstairs to my home office, where I am able to continue doing my job as a financial controller remotely. After doing that for eight hours, I generally go outside and play ball with my Boston Terrier, or I cook dinner for Dad and I. Since moving, I haven’t found a gym or a pool, but will find one so that I can stay moving.
When and how were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed in July 2017, as I had watched my balance decline a little bit.
Are there any others with FA in your family? My older brother also has it, and was diagnosed almost 15 years before I was. Fortunately, his kids don’t seem to be showing signs, and two of them were confirmed not to have FA.
Describe your transition from walking to walker/wheelchair. In 2021, I fell out of bed and tore my MCL. After that, I started using a walker full-time. The walker was a way for others to know that something was wrong, and it gives me more freedom to continue being independent.
What do you like to do to stay active and what type of exercises work for you to stay strong? I love swimming, which helps me stay moving without putting weight on the joints.
Do you have any hobbies or special interests? When I am not working, I enjoy hanging out with my family, riding my trike, watching swimming, football, or hockey, and going places.
What is a good trick to make daily life easier? The best thing that I did was get the walker, as it lets others know that there is something wrong and lets me stay independent.
When FA gets you down, what do you think/do to feel better? I tend to talk to my older brother or listen to uplifting music.
What is one way living with FA has POSITIVELY affected your life? It has made me appreciate life and given me more opportunities to meet people, as they are curious, and I want to educate.
What is a favorite motivational quote of yours? “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13
What is a piece of advice that someone with FA has given you that encourages and inspires you? Get involved with (clinical) trials, and don’t let FA be an excuse or let it define you. You may be in the middle of a miracle.
What is the best advice YOU could give to a person who has been newly diagnosed with FA? Don’t let FA define who you are, as you have so much to offer the world.
What is the first thing you want to do when a cure/treatment for FA is found? Celebrate with my family and then go for a hike in the mountains.
“I have FA but FA doesn’t have me.” What does this statement mean to you? I am more than just someone who has FA. Whether it be a daughter, sister, friend, aunt, or child of God, I want to be known for the legacy that I leave in others’ lives, more than a FA statistic.
How do you live your life in the face of adversity? Live each day to the fullest, and don’t let FA drag me down.
Interview by
Andrea Keiss