I’ve lost count of how many times my dad has absolutely exploded in anger–to the degree of screaming and throwing things–and being unsure of whether or not he was going to hit anyone, including me. I can still feel the energy of his wrath reverberating through the house when his anger took control.

I was diagnosed with GNE Myopathy, a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy, in my late twenties. This muscle-wasting disease is untreatable and progressive; it will leave me in a wheelchair with limited use of my arms, and is likely to shorten my life. It is very strange to know these things, but be unable to control them.