{"id":27254,"date":"2026-05-15T06:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:41:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T19:41:33","slug":"ana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ana\/","title":{"rendered":"Ana"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"27254\" class=\"elementor elementor-27254\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-729eb89b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"729eb89b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-49c22dd0\" data-id=\"49c22dd0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46113146 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"46113146\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>When I turned 20, I started to notice something was different about me. I had a brain MRI, which showed that I probably had Ataxia. My mom and I went to the doctor for further examination, and he confirmed it. To be 100% sure, they performed genetic testing, which confirmed that I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 (SCA2).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-78066779 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"78066779\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-45ac4a0d\" data-id=\"45ac4a0d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4a11aa03 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4a11aa03\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>How Has Ataxia Impacted Your Life?<\/strong><\/p><p>\u00a0I\u2019m learning to live with it, sometimes it is difficult because others think I&#8217;m drunk.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18313d21 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"18313d21\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-75d309ea elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"75d309ea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em><strong><span class=\"TextRun SCXO106847217 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXO106847217 BCX0\">Disclaimer:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span class=\"TextRun SCXO106847217 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXO106847217 BCX0\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The views and opinions expressed in this story are those of the individual member and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF). Any medical information shared in this story is based on personal experience and has not been reviewed or endorsed by NAF or a medical professional. Always consult with your own physician or qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your care or treatment plan.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXO106847217 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-41b0160 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"41b0160\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-396fc735\" data-id=\"396fc735\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f63a1da elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3f63a1da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4486326c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4486326c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What is Your Ataxia Story?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29d5a552 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"29d5a552\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by Ataxia, we believe that each story has the power to inspire, connect, and empower others. We invite you to share your personal Ataxia journey with us.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10da1cdf elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"10da1cdf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/members\/share\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">SHARE MY STORY<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cf0f116 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2cf0f116\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Are you here to read the personal stories, but haven\u2019t yet joined as a member? We hope you find comfort in reading about the experiences of others on their Ataxia journey. We invite you to\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/interland3.donorperfect.net\/weblink\/weblink.aspx?name=E79738&amp;id=285\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">join as a member<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0to receive a new member story each month. It\u2019s free, and you\u2019ll be kept up-to-date on the latest developments in the Ataxia community.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12589baa elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"12589baa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Recent Member Stories<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e12a837 elementor-grid-3 elementor-grid-tablet-2 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-posts--thumbnail-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-posts\" data-id=\"6e12a837\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;classic_columns&quot;:&quot;3&quot;,&quot;classic_columns_tablet&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;classic_columns_mobile&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;classic_row_gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:35,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;classic_row_gap_laptop&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;classic_row_gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;classic_row_gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"posts.classic\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-posts-container elementor-posts elementor-posts--skin-classic elementor-grid\" role=\"list\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27258 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories tag-care-partners\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ben-williamson\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Williamson-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27306\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Williamson-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Williamson-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Williamson-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ben-Williamson-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ben-williamson\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tBen Williamson\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 29, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>Living and Dying with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7: A Carer\u2019s Perspective Affiliation: Husband and primary carer of patient with confirmed SCA7 (ATXN7 gene, 10\/49 CAG <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ben-williamson\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27259 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/maitreyi-viswanathan\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maitreyi-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27260\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maitreyi-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maitreyi-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maitreyi-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maitreyi-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/maitreyi-viswanathan\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tMaitreyi Viswanathan\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 22, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>http:\/\/youtu.be\/sYccDzT25eY?si=f6GkonkY4FvsyFHy The video above is from Maitreyi&#8217;s personal YouTube channel, in which she discusses her experiences living with Ataxia.&nbsp;Mature topics are discussed, viewer discretion is <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/maitreyi-viswanathan\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27254 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ana\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27256\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ana\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tAna\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 15, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>When I turned 20, I started to notice something was different about me. I had a brain MRI, which showed that I probably had Ataxia. <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/ana\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27187 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/tracy-britt\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tracy-Britt-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27184\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tracy-Britt-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tracy-Britt-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tracy-Britt-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tracy-Britt-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/tracy-britt\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tTracy Britt\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 8, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>I am a Registered nurse who recently went on disability for Spinocerebellar Ataxia. My family tree is full of members with this same illness. I <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/tracy-britt\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27186 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/adam-zea\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adam-Zea-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27183\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adam-Zea-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adam-Zea-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adam-Zea-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Adam-Zea-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/adam-zea\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tAdam Zea\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 1, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>I have a beautiful wife and 3 grown kids. I have always been very active, running track and cross-country in high school and road races <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/adam-zea\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-27181 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-blog category-member-stories\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/aude-j\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aude-J-Featured-Image-300x157.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-27182\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aude-J-Featured-Image-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aude-J-Featured-Image-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aude-J-Featured-Image-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Aude-J-Featured-Image.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/aude-j\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tAude J\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tApril 24, 2026\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>Note: Aude submitted her story in French. ChatGPT was used to translate her submission. The translation may not be accurate. We will include her submission <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/aude-j\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e1d21a7 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"4e1d21a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/category\/member-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">VIEW ALL MEMBER STORIES<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I turned 20, I started to notice something was different about me. I had a brain MRI, which showed that I probably had Ataxia. My mom and I went <a class=\"MoreInfo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/aude-j\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[517,450],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-member-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ana - National Ataxia Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ana - National Ataxia Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I turned 20, I started to notice something was different about me. I had a brain MRI, which showed that I probably had Ataxia. My mom and I went Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"National Ataxia Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mollie Utting\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mollie Utting\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mollie Utting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3a31cd48783bdafc3adcc598f3b84caa\"},\"headline\":\"Ana\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254\"},\"wordCount\":270,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\",\"Member Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254\",\"name\":\"Ana - National Ataxia Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?p=27254#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ana\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"National Ataxia Foundation\",\"description\":\"Connecting Ataxia families, researchers, clinicians and the community\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"National Ataxia Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/logo_Ataxia.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/08\\\/logo_Ataxia.jpg\",\"width\":286,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"National Ataxia Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3a31cd48783bdafc3adcc598f3b84caa\",\"name\":\"Mollie Utting\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mollie Utting\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ataxia.org\\\/author\\\/naf-mollie\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ana - National Ataxia Foundation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ana - National Ataxia Foundation","og_description":"When I turned 20, I started to notice something was different about me. I had a brain MRI, which showed that I probably had Ataxia. My mom and I went Read More...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254","og_site_name":"National Ataxia Foundation","article_published_time":"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Mollie Utting","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mollie Utting","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254"},"author":{"name":"Mollie Utting","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3a31cd48783bdafc3adcc598f3b84caa"},"headline":"Ana","datePublished":"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254"},"wordCount":270,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png","articleSection":["Blog","Member Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254","url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254","name":"Ana - National Ataxia Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png","datePublished":"2026-05-15T11:00:40+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ana-Member-story-Website-Featured-Image.png","width":1200,"height":628},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?p=27254#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ana"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/","name":"National Ataxia Foundation","description":"Connecting Ataxia families, researchers, clinicians and the community","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#organization","name":"National Ataxia Foundation","url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/logo_Ataxia.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/logo_Ataxia.jpg","width":286,"height":100,"caption":"National Ataxia Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3a31cd48783bdafc3adcc598f3b84caa","name":"Mollie Utting","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3709a97d9bc4db07e84f3db9b97f3407dd74fcf38ff7493a6d0b79c347930035?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mollie Utting"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.ataxia.org"],"url":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/author\/naf-mollie\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ataxia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}