Hi there, the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are now finished and Italy is recovering!

The Summer games are coming in 2 years…

Have you noticed… when an athlete (Olympian or Paralympian) falls during their performance/event (skiing, figure skating, gymnastics, etc…) they lose points, maybe are disqualified, and most often are hugged, they cry.

When an Ataxian falls anywhere – walking across the gym floor, walking into the kitchen – are they disqualified? Are people Oohing or Clapping? Do they lose points? Will they cry or hurl insults?

Athletes and Ataxians are pretty much the same after a fall:

• Both lose a bit of confidence
• Both cry (with laughter, maybe)
• Both may hurl insults – at the floor, the hill, the hurdle, the cabinet door left ajar, at themselves,
• Both point fingers at their bodies trying to find bumps, bruises or stanch bleeding,
• Both will likely get hugged, helped up,
• Both may decide, on the spot, to quit the thing they were just trying to do, but…
• Both realize they can’t quit their lifelong ambition to beat their personal best marathon time, to walk into a room without hitting the doorframe, so…
• Both mentally & physically pull themselves up, brush the dust, the broken glass, the tears, off their face, off their butt, and…
• Both Athlete & Ataxian will try again.

Thanks for Reading!