Name: Megan Ploch
Age: 26
Where do you call home? Greenville, South Carolina
What is your education [degree(s)]? I have a Bachelor of Science in biology from Winthrop University.
Who do you live with? My parents & my dog, Cooper
What’s a typical day for you? A typical day for me involves a lot of reading, drinking iced coffee, and listening to podcasts. If the weather is nice, most of that is done on my back porch.
How long have you known you are living with FA? When and how were you diagnosed? I was diagnosed in December of 2012 when I was 13. After multiple MRIs & a year of inconclusive doctor visits, my neurologist ordered a nerve conduction study, which I failed, and the next step was the blood test to test for FA.
Are there any others with FA in your family? Nope, only me!
Describe your transition from walking to walker/wheelchair. I never used a walker; I began using a manual wheelchair when I was a sophomore in high school. However, I only used it at school & anywhere that involved a lot of walking. For the last semester of my freshman year & the first semester of my sophomore year, I did online school because walking/falling at school gave me so much anxiety, and I was scared of what people would think about my wheelchair. Turns out, no one really cared! I started using my wheelchair at home the next year when we moved to a house with a more open layout — there weren’t enough walls for me to hang onto! Today, I use a power wheelchair.
What do you like to do to stay active, and what type of exercises work for you to stay strong? I stretch pretty much every morning, and I try to do a few arm exercises with 3-pound dumbbells every other day.
Do you have any hobbies or special interests? I love to read! My favorite genres are historical fiction & contemporary fiction, but I’ll read anything.
What is a good trick to make daily life easier? Since I’m constantly dropping my cups and spilling my drinks, I love my spill-proof cups or water bottles with handles.
When FA gets you down, what do you think/do to feel better? I tell myself that a bad day does not equal a bad life. I’m just going downhill on the roller coaster of my FA-life at the moment, but pretty soon it will go up again!
What is one way living with FA has POSITIVELY affected your life? FA has definitely made me a more understanding & empathic person.
What is a favorite motivational quote of yours? “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” – C.S. Lewis
What is the best advice YOU could give to a person who has been newly diagnosed with FA? I would tell them a few things. One — take it one day at a time. Two — do what you can while you still can. Three — anyone that matters is not going to care that you have a disability…and if they do, then they don’t matter.
What is the first thing you want to do when a cure/treatment to FA is found? The 1st thing I want to do is simply take a walk around my neighborhood with my dog! Then obviously I’m gonna have a dance party 💃
“I have FA but FA doesn’t have me.” What does this statement mean to you? My body doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, but that’s not gonna stop me from living my life. YOLO!!
How do you live your life in the face of adversity? I’ve learned just to take whatever life throws at me, shrug it off, and keep moving forward.
Interview by
Brendan Halverson