LAUGHING AT MY NIGHTMARE

My name is Shane, and I am 20 years old. I have a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy that I have lived with my entire life. Basically, all of the muscles in my body are extremely weak, because I lack the protein necessary for muscle creation. My disease won’t kill me by itself, but it is progressively getting worse, so eventually (I’m hoping not for a long time) I will get sick and it will turn into pneumonia and my body won’t be able to fight it and that will be the end of the road. Living with this awareness of my uncertain future has really molded me into the person I am today. I enjoy the fuck out of life and find humor in pretty much everything, including my own fucked up disease.

My brother Andrew is one of my best friends. He is 17 years old. You will read a lot about him on my blog. Here is a picture of Andrew, (right) my friend Pat (left)  and I:

I have a cousin, Becca, who has been my best friend since 6th grade. When she is not at college, we spend almost every day together. Here is a picture of the two of us:

I could go on for a long time about the friends and family that are all a huge part of my life, but that would take too long. Read some of my posts and you will learn a lot more about me!