Living with Asperger's and Peripheral Neuropathy isn't easy. As a child, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and ADHD. Then, no one even knew about Asperger's.  I became a full-blown fighter during the two years I dealt with the chemotherapy treatments and the stares of other kids. The treatments kept me alive but I was socially awkward, impulsive and a chatterbox - and there would be lasting side effects. Being a fighter would serve me well.  

 
I spent my Atlanta childhood like most kids - chasing bugs and snakes and hitting home runs. No one would have guessed what I had been through. My family moved to Long Island after I finished junior high school and I became even more awkward; I just didn't understand how to interact with other teenagers. Sports kept me out of trouble but my motor skills deteriorated and I forgot how to play. High school graduation came with the new millenium - I wasn't even excited.
 My life completely changed. In college, my social skills kept getting worse and I had symptoms that would paralyze me. I developed a million bad habits to ease the sensory sensations and restlessness I felt. I had no idea what was going on. I left college and found a job where I could use the 'high attention to detail' traits that defined my still undiagnosed Asperger's. 

I moved temporarily to Atlanta but went back to New York and found a new job. It didn't last long...the stock and housing markets crashed and I was out of a job. My symptoms worsened, electric shocks rocked my body and I didn't know how to communciate what was happening to anyone. I moved back to Atlanta to be with my family. I finally got a 'break'. I had broken my leg while I was in New York and developed a strange case of spasticity and tremors. Two years ago, after all these years of social and sensory symptoms and neuropathic pain, I was diagnosed with Asperger's and peripheral neuropathy.  I finally had the answers I had been searching for so long.

Through those years of disease, the fighter in me never left but she did become dormant. I realize a combination of things kept me alive - my trials in New York and my tribulations in Atlanta. My personality kept me going and today I am far from the person I was two years ago. I could barely keep my head up straight and was going through daily episodes. With hard work, most of the symptoms from both conditions have been reversed though I am aware of my PN. I still have more challenges than most to overcome. However, I am proud to say I am still a fighter... and a tale of two cities!