LGMD “Spotlight interview”

Name:  Dan  Age:  40 Yrs. Old  

Country:   United States

LGMD Sub-Type: LGMD2i

At what age were you diagnosed:

I was diagnosed at the age of 30.

What were your first symptoms:

My first symptom was leg weakness.  I remember stepping over a roll of carpet and falling down because my leg gave out. I walked with an unusual gait. And, I was not able to do one sit up without grabbing my legs to pull myself up.

Do you have other family members who have LGMD:

No, I am the only one in my family with LGMD.

What do you find to be the greatest challenges in living with LGMD:

Definitely, stairs are my greatest challenge right now.  In fact, any step with a riser higher than 3″ is either extremely difficult or a no go. At first, I would compensate for my leg weakness by using my arms on the railing to get up a set of stairs, but in the last few years, my arm strength has been compromised.

What is your greatest accomplishment:

I have many small triumphs that I have accomplished. One being able to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. My biggest accomplishment though would be accepting and embracing my condition (LGMD), by doing so I have opened up so many more doors and possibilities in my life. I have learned that my condition doesn’t define who I am as a person.

How has LGMD influenced you into becoming the person you are today:

LGMD has taught me many things in my life, the biggest one though, would be patience. I have always been a patient person, but I have learned that things don’t happen to me on my timetable, they happen to me when I am ready for them.

What do you want the world to know about LGMD:

1. That Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy is not a clothing garment.
2. That LGMD is simply a test, we are all going through some sort of test in life, mine is LGMD. It’s a matter of “choice” in how I’m going to react and what I’m going to do about it. I’ve got no right to do any less than anybody else. Yes, I have Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, but it will never have me.

If your LGMD could be “cured” tomorrow, what would be the first thing that you would want to do:

I would go for a run!

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