Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / One Leg Up With Jennifer Gasner, Who Found Balance Beyond Her Diagnosis 8-31-24

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One Leg Up With Jennifer Gasner, Who Found Balance Beyond Her Diagnosis 8-31-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now here's your emotion, Alex.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: All right, and I'm here with another special guest from
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: podmatch dot com. This time it's Jennifer Gassner. And Jennifer
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: actually we approach each other on Podmatch, and I said, man,
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: this is a perfect fit because you're out there working
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: to change the perception of people with disabilities, and so
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: I wanted to have you on for the one like
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: up on Adapting podcast.
• 0:28
  Speaker 3: Thanks for joining me, Thank you for having me. Now.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: It seems like, based on your bio and everything, that
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: you are living a great life. And I hate say
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: normal life because people's disabilities should be normalized right in society.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: But you then were diagnosed with this rare neuromuscular disease
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: called fredricks ataxia, and you did not let that stop you.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Tell us your journey here, Jennifer.
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: Oh, I was having trouble with my hand writing seemed
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: to be getting a little more difficult, and I was
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: having trouble walking in a straight line. I had always
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: been very accident prone, and I had had a lot
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: of accidents, broken glasses, falling off my bike, breaking my
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: arm up. And finally, one day I was sixteen and
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: I was walking to my mom's car. She was picking
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: me up and I almost fell. And that was basically
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: the last straw when I was like, something's not right here,
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: This doesn't feel right. And that's really how the journey began.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: In your journey to try and figure all of this out,
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: did you find doctors were dismissing you or did you
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: find you actually found a great care team along the
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: way that was able to help you get to the
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: diagnosis and through the diagnosis, if you will.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: My first neurologist was very flippant and I of a joke.
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: He was like, what did this whole thing is no
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: big deal, don't worry about it. And then I a
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: year later, my parents took me to get a segment opinion,
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: and that doctor was great. He was very helpful. But yeah,
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: the first one was a disaster.
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: But you've kind of shined a bright light on how
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: you know people with disabilities are not someone to be
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: in the dark or to be left aside or push aside.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Do you say that the media is portraying the disabled
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: community in such a way that needs to be changed.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: That's why you've taken this on, That's why you wrote
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: your memoir My Unexpected Life so what were you seeing
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: in the media that really bothered you to no end?
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: Well, that the big thing, and this was more something
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: I figured out ten years after I was diagnosed, really,
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: but that the big thing is, like my free picks.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: Ataxia is a form of muscular dystrophy, so that's kind
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: of the easy way to describe it. And when I
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: heard muscular dystrophy, I was like, way a psyche, not
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: who I have seen in the labor tlephon. Granted this
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: was nineteen ninety so things were a lot different back then,
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: but because it's seeing that image and the first time
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: I saw somebody who had the same disability, he was
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: a wheelchair user, and that really freaked me out in
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: nineteen ninety at seventeen, because again the way it was
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: portrayed made it feel like my life was over.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Jennifer, It's clearly not over.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: In fact, you're on Instagram and I want to promote
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: you there as well. At Jenny G let me get
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: it right before I screwed up here, Jenny G. Writer
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: is your Instagram and you're really doing all these different panels.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, what's it like to be invited as a
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: guest speaker and then do you find that when you
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: talk to these different panels and all these different panels, Wow,
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: someone's really been impacted. Like I feel like when they
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: hear from you, they walk out of that panel or
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: you know, they're the comme out of that panel a
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: little different than they were when they walked in, Right.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: I hope so well that the greatest compliment I got
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: was from a woman. I'm not sure well too was,
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: but she said she had invisible disabilities and reading my
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: book was the first time she felt seen and heard
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: and understood. And I was like, well, that's exactly part
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: of the reason why I wrote this.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Jennifer, How have you adapted since this diagnosis?
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: Like what kind of accommodations have been made or have
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: you been really fighting for, whether it be going to college.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: I mean, you got your MS and your be a
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: you know b A, you got to you got your master's,
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: you got your undergrad Any accommodations through those years that
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: you were fighting for and were able to get to
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: be able to succeed at that level.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: Well, I didn't have to do much fighting in college
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: in grad school in terms of getting UH known takers
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: or accommodations for my exams, but I did run into
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: a scenario in grad school where they had the exam
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: room for all the students with disabilities were basically in
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: the lobby of the office, so there would be a
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: lot of motion going on while we were taking the exam,
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: which I didn't think was correct. So luckily my teachers
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: let me take my exams in a different location, but
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: that those weren't weren't that vague, which I was a
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: little surprised by that people actually believed me when I
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: said I needed this or that, because when I started
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: college I didn't use any assistive devices. I did when
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: I went to grad school, but still it did surprise me.
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: So I'd gone through kind of layers of accommodations because
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: this is a progressive disability. So I went I tried
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: to use a cane for a little while. That didn't work.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: Then I went to the walker, and at twenty six
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: I started using wheelchair. And I've had to like modify
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: bathrooms and put ramps in my house to get an
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: accessible van and learn how to drive using my hands,
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: things like that.
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: Jennifer, you're telling your story now, and I want to
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: get to that adaptability at home in a minute, because
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: my fiance is actually in a power chair, and a
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: lot of her house has been fitted for that accessibility
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: as well. And then you venture outside and it's like, well,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: the world's not always accessible outside your own home, So
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: how do you deal with that? You know, you leave
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: your home which is adapted, and then you might find
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: a place that is adapted or accessible. And to this day,
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: does that still you know, piss you off of you? Well,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: how do you deal with those guys?
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah? Well, I'm fairly lucky, well very lucky because I
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: live in California, so the majority of the construction is new,
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: so I don't have to worry too much about a
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: building not being accessible or things like that. Not to
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: say that there aren't places in San Diego.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: You know, it's funny.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: I see that LA actually built the train recently, in
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: the recent years. Do you ever try those trains in LA?
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: And how is the transportation is inaccessible?
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: Yes? Actually, I find using the subway system in LA
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: pretty easy for the most part.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: Well that's great, cause here in the city, our our
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: subway system can use some revamping sometimes, especially with the platforms.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: But you know, that's a story for another day. In
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: a sense, I see that you were part of the
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Abilities Expo. Now, you know, in our in our parts
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: of the world, we haven't New York. We have it
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: in New Jersey and we participated in that every May.
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: What was that like for you in March to be
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: part of the Abilities Expo?
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: That was really interesting because I've gone to the Abilities
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: Expo before as a whatever patron. This is the first
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: time I went as an exhibitor. So it was just
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: a really interesting experience. And a friend of mine was
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: there and she made a comment because she had never
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: been to any abilities exponent. She was a little disappointed
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: because again, it's another situation where it's like all these
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  Speaker 3: non disabled people are providing services to the disabled people
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  Speaker 3: or and like there really wasn't a lot of repsentation
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  Speaker 3: where it was people with disabilities, represening, an organizing and
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: hopefully providing some service and ways to support the community,
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  Speaker 3: which is what we were doing because I went as
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: part of Diversibility.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I see the Versability actually as a podcast that's
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: pretty awesome as well. Are you yeah? Are you in
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: that a lot? Are you a host on there or
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: what is it?
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  Speaker 3: No? I was just on it the one time.
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  Speaker 2: Well, tell me about the crossoveryone like the breaking through
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  Speaker 2: to the able body community. I feel like you wrote
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: this to not only break through to the disabled community,
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: but also the able body right. You wanted the able
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: body community to have more of insights into your world
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: and your journey.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Yes, and and I say this in the book.
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  Speaker 3: I was very well. I still am. But in the
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: beginning of the journey, I was very able list. I
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: had the very you know, I had the mindset of
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: pity and getting the cure and different things like that.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: But when I discovered disability culture and the independent living movement,
• 15:53
  Speaker 3: that totally changed my ideas and gave me a huge
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: shift in perspective and really allowed me to embrace my identity.
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  Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about that, because you're telling your story now.
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  Speaker 1: But you're a seventeen year.
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  Speaker 2: Old going through this, going through all the symptoms and
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: the signs, if you will, as an abybody girl at
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: seventeen anybody teenager. So tell me did you not want
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: to tell your friends and family hat this is what
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: I'm going through.
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  Speaker 1: Where you were.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Reluctant to share the story then? And when did that
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: reluctancy start to change? When were you like, Okay, I'm
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: going to talk about this, I think.
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  Speaker 3: You know, gosh, that's a good question. I know. I
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: my parents made it clear to me about a year
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: after I was diagnosed that they really didn't want to
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: talk about it. So that, don't know, left me, uh
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: feeling very alone. And I talk to my friends, but
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: there wasn't really a feeling that they understood or they
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: got what I was going through. So I really.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: Did you feel alone? Actually in this journey? You did?
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: Yes, in the in the beginning, I certainly did, uh so.
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: And that was also part of the beauty of finding
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: disability clulture because it allowed me to open myself up
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: a little more.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, And I'm just thinking about this because
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: at seventeen, personally, I was going from high school to college,
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: and of course I was in school with kids with
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: disabilities my whole life, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. So
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: it was a bit of a culture shock going into
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: college at seventeen and seeing like, oh my god, look
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: at you know, look at it's a different atmosphere.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: Right, So for you, you were.
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: Dealing with going I had to becoming disabled, but going
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: through becoming disabled at seventeen, Yeah, and then that's right,
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: as you're graduating high school into college. That had to
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: even add even more stress to your world. How did
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: you get through that?
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: Yes, yes, well I was in a huge state of
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: denial for the long and I fine, I used alcohol
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: a lot the first couple of years. Maybe one year
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: is more accurate, but uh. Then I went to a
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: support group for adults with mascular dystrophy and they were
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: all very bitter and very you know, complaining about oh
• 19:42
  Speaker 3: that I'm going through this and this and this, and
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: it was not supportive by any means. And that was
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: brilliant when I decided, you know, I don't want to
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: end up like that, So I I at that point,
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: that's brilliant when I changed my mind and decided, no,
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  Speaker 3: I'm not gonna let this take over and consume my
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: life like it had been doing.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: I probably it sounds like you were able to push through.
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: I would say you mentioned the word ablest, so I
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: feel like we all have different I guess interpretation of that.
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: So what was your interpretation of that? And do you
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: feel like we're still in such an able ast culture
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: that there's got to be more change to that narrative
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: or however you want to say.
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's basically evaluing the person with a
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: disability and basically assuming they can't do anything that, you know,
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: because that means they're weak, you know, things like that
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: they're not it'll be a live, a fulfilling life if
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: they have a disability. I think that's part of it
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: and that Yes, I mean, we still have a long
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: way to go, but you know, I feel like I
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: am so impressed now, like how many podcasts like yours
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: or are related to disability, and there are more books
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: and there's more conscious attitude about inclusivity.
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: And of course that's a great point because we're just
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: in the Paralympics and I feel like a select brand,
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: a select group of folks like we are into with
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: the Paralympics, but we're trying to message spread that message
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: out right. Yes, So besides sharing the story and everything,
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: how would you recommend us to include make it more inclusive, like,
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: you know, not just us being included, but actually including
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: those who aren't disabled into our world.
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: I think sharing the pair Olympics is a great way
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: to do it.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, I agree. In fact, I you know, I started
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: watching the opening ceremony, uh yesterday, and I have to
• 23:18
  Speaker 3: say like, I was really impressed by their discussions about
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: disability and they you know, that things the attitudes that
• 23:40
  Speaker 3: many people have about disability. I think it's one of
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: the first times I've heard it being spoken about in
• 23:54
  Speaker 3: such a uh what's like large venue and with a
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: huge audience.
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: Well, whether you're a writer or an athlete, you know,
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: there's no doubt that we're all out here to work
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: hard and not just participate. I think we got to
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: get rid of that word participation. My friend Steve Sirio
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: cat in the USA men's basketball we have our basketball
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: team said we're not participants, we're come competition. And by
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: the way, you are competitive. Also, because I'm looking here
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: and Jen Gassner, I see that you were nominated as
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: part of the National Indie Excellence Awards. You were named
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: a finalist in the memoir category in the NIEA. I
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: mean that's a huge deal. And by the way, it's
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: not in your bio, so you're very modest, but I
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: gotta shout you out with this.
• 24:54
  Speaker 3: Yes, well, I guess I mean to have Dave bio.
• 25:00
  Speaker 3: I didn't put that in there, but yeah, I was
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: really excited about that.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: So in life, it's not that we're participating.
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: We're actually just competing and working to have that edge,
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: whereas I like to say one leg up on.
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: The competition, and even writing, there's a bit of a competition, right.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: Yes, And you know I have said to like the
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: title of my book is My Unexpected Life, And you
• 25:36
  Speaker 3: can kind of look at it two different ways. Yes,
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: it's unexpected because things happened that I did not plan for.
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: But it's also unexpected because people's expectations of somebody with
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: a disability ardlow. So hopefully I'm a.
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know.
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: I mean I I think it's a wheelchair basketball. I
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: think of you know, folks spectators were thinking, oh my god,
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: think it's amazing they just got the shot in the basket.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: Meanwhile the guys are like, no, we want to win.
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: This game, you know what I mean. So it's a
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: it's a perspective thing, and obviously it hits on both.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: I see where you're going without unexpected life, unexpected life.
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: But here's the chance to really help people understand the No,
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: you can expect a lot from us even if we're disabled.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: That's the whole point, isn't it.
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: Correct.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: Yes, and I'm just looking through your real you were
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: also honored by the San Diego Central Library.
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: Tell us about that, Yes, that was great. Every or
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: they do a local author showcase and then they pick
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: twelve books that become the Author of the month each month.
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: So I was chosen for April.
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: Congratulations.
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: Out Let me ask you this, do you feel like
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: when you're picked in these different things, in these different
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: big accomplishments, as long as you don't feel like you're
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: filling a diversity quota because sometimes I had to say,
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: but sometimes companies, we'll do this to fill a diversity quota.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: But as long as they're not making to feel that way,
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: that's what matters, right.
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: Correct, Yeah, No, I feel that because I I know
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: my writing isn't just good because again going back to
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: low expectations people people have. It's it's good because it's good,
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: not because they think it should be bad because I'm disabled.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: Part of me does this podcast to be honest with Jennifer,
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: because I feel like when I rolled blade on one
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: leg around the city, that's kind of how I'm defined.
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: But no, I've got thoughts and I've got a brain.
• 28:49
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: That's why I feel very impassionate about the idea of
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: being defined not by my you know whatever, but by
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: my brain as well. Do you feel that as well,
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: that you don't want to be defined by your disability?
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: Is what I'm getting at here?
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, big, big time. That's there's so much more
• 29:15
  Speaker 3: to me. Disability is only a slice.
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: Oh I love that line. That is.
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: That's a great line there, Jennifer. See you're right and
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: you're speaking poetry there you go.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: Well, thank you.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: I've gotta I'm gonna ask you this. In your journey
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: health wise, have you dealt with procedures? Have you dealt
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: with constant medical appointments or dare I say er business like?
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: How's the health aspect been of all this?
• 29:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah? No, that's definitely been a challenge. In fact, uh,
• 29:52
  Speaker 3: ten years ago, I was additionally diagnosed with EMTs, so
• 30:03
  Speaker 3: I have both Frederick's attacks the MS, and because of
• 30:11
  Speaker 3: that I had to stop working full time. So and
• 30:20
  Speaker 3: part of that was that the doctor's appointments pre pandemic
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: were overwhelming. They've gotten better since the pandemic, but for
• 30:42
  Speaker 3: whatever reason, but yeah, it's it's very overwhelming. And it's
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: also scary to go to an ear or go to
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: drink care because there's seeing you for one specific issue.
• 31:08
  Speaker 3: They don't really understand the entire.
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: They don't get the as they would call the pandemic,
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: the underlying conditions. And I wanted to ask you about
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: the pandemic because I see that you turned maybe your
• 31:21
  Speaker 2: frustration with the pandemic and having all that shutdown into writing.
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: In fact, you were published in Shaking the Tree.
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: I'm streamed for h during the time of Corona.
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, look, I feel like you also utilized writing
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: as a way to express yourself. How was that form
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: of expression during the pandemic? Was it different than you know,
• 31:42
  Speaker 2: a normal year, if you will, hmm that scene.
• 31:50
  Speaker 3: You have all these great questions. I I think think
• 32:00
  Speaker 3: the pandemic was definitely it gave gave me a platform,
• 32:10
  Speaker 3: like something relevant to talk about now as it relates
• 32:19
  Speaker 3: to disability. So in that sense, it definitely led me
• 32:30
  Speaker 3: to talk more about it. But I was still in
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: the middle of writing my book, and so it helped
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: in some ways and in some ways it didn't.
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: Well, you talk about people, this really is in the pandemic.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: I gotta ask you this, how how are you feeling?
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: I mean, here you are with both ms and if
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: you're just a taxi and now having to deal with
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: not catching COVID eight. Did you get it at all
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: or B and B What precaution did you take? Did
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: you get out at least a little bit mask up
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: or were you one that stayed in during the height
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: of all this?
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: What was your game plan if you will.
• 33:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I did actually end up getting it. Gosh, I
• 33:31
  Speaker 3: guess it's been two years already since I had it.
• 33:36
  Speaker 3: And I was able to get plaid plaxivid I forget.
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: What it's called, paxlov.
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that was a big I was able to get that,
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: which was was good. But really, like during the height
• 33:58
  Speaker 3: of thing, I masked and I didn't go anywhere. I'd
• 34:05
  Speaker 3: go try and see my friends, but we would stay
• 34:12
  Speaker 3: six feet apart.
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: That was smart. Yeah.
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: I think of that as everybody was sort of effected
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: in that way because we couldn't get the medal care
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: we needed. We couldn't really even see our friends. But
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: I'm glad that you were. You know, you were saying, no,
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: we're going to see people, We're not going to be indoors.
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: That's good on you for that mentality, because I think
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: you just had to live in it, right, you just
• 34:37
  Speaker 2: live and.
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: Mask up and do what you could to do all that.
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: Exactly where did you get your love of writing from?
• 34:47
  Speaker 2: I mean, how old were you? Was this before you
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: turned seventeen that you were writing? And then the writing
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: just turned differently because you became you you were diagnosed
• 34:56
  Speaker 2: with the disability. Tell us where the writing era started?
• 35:00
  Speaker 3: And not really completely sure. I know I dabbled in
• 35:07
  Speaker 3: really bad poetry until I was about sixteen, uh, and
• 35:17
  Speaker 3: then my major started out to be communications, but then
• 35:27
  Speaker 3: I ended up switching to English with writing.
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: And that's.
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: Really where where it got made, you know, really developed.
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: Well, this is this has been great, Jennifer, and I
• 35:54
  Speaker 2: want to have you on now this n.
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: I E A is it is? It? Is it over?
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: Are you actually not only a finalist? But did you win?
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: Like?
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: When's that? When is the number?
• 36:04
  Speaker 3: Yes that the winner was announced? Yes, so I didn't win,
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: but I got it.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: Well, the finalist is pretty badass, if I may say so.
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: When when you get these different.
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: Nominations and these announcements as you've been a finalist, you're nominated,
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: what's that.
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: Like for you?
• 36:24
  Speaker 3: Like?
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: What what kind of feeling runs through your body?
• 36:27
  Speaker 3: It's it's really exciting because I just really I'm thankful
• 36:38
  Speaker 3: for the recognition, but also that means my book has
• 36:49
  Speaker 3: resonated with some other people.
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: So I'll fix that space up.
• 37:02
  Speaker 2: No, and I'm one of you know, a couple more
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: things here because I'm looking again. And we told you
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: on on this earlier. But before you became disabled, what
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: were your assumptions, Like I had to put you on
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: the hot seat here, but I'm kind of curious about
• 37:16
  Speaker 2: what assumptions you had to overcome as you were dealing
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: with your own diagnosis.
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, well, part of part of Fredrick's attacks, yeah,
• 37:32
  Speaker 3: was or is that it can cause an early death.
• 37:41
  Speaker 3: And at the time I was diagnosed, what I read
• 37:50
  Speaker 3: in a medical dictionary was twenty five, so that gave
• 37:58
  Speaker 3: me eight years. Uh later on I found out that
• 38:03
  Speaker 3: wasn't made the case, but it was always kind of
• 38:10
  Speaker 3: in the back of my mind.
• 38:12
  Speaker 2: But you don't strike me as a type that would
• 38:14
  Speaker 2: go running around saying, oh my god, I have eight
• 38:16
  Speaker 2: years to live.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't feel you're the type of person
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: to say that.
• 38:21
  Speaker 3: I didn't really think, boy, and I think I did
• 38:29
  Speaker 3: think my life was essentially going to be over and
• 38:36
  Speaker 3: I'd have no social life. No one would want to
• 38:42
  Speaker 3: date me. You know, no one would want to be
• 38:48
  Speaker 3: friends with me or any like, I just felt I'd
• 38:53
  Speaker 3: just be sitting at home. All they those kind of assumptions.
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: And then now you're immersed in the disability culture, and
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: sometimes I like to focus on the society and culture.
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: How can we talked about it this earlier? But how
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: can we be further inclusive in the culture? You know,
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: they've actually done the runway models are now there's some
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: disabled runway models, which.
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: Is a great forum of inclusivity.
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: But where can from where you sit and stand, where
• 39:29
  Speaker 2: where can you see more inclusivity in the culture? Where
• 39:32
  Speaker 2: would you like to see it?
• 39:34
  Speaker 3: Well, I think it's just really important to not believe
• 39:44
  Speaker 3: the hype if you will, or not believe everything you've
• 39:52
  Speaker 3: seen or been told about disability. And remember you're just
• 39:59
  Speaker 3: dealing with a person that that's all you have to
• 40:07
  Speaker 3: think about, you know, And I don't I'm not at
• 40:17
  Speaker 3: all speaking for everyone, but I like to think most
• 40:26
  Speaker 3: people with disabilities are open to questions, but not what's
• 40:41
  Speaker 3: the word I'm looking for?
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: Well, I can definitely see where you're coming from.
• 40:46
  Speaker 2: Like if a kid came up to me and asked
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: me about my crutches or my one like that's okay,
• 40:50
  Speaker 2: but yeah, give a grown adult awkwardly approaches that really
• 40:55
  Speaker 2: is not a trigger point, but it's bothersome.
• 40:59
  Speaker 4: Right, Yes, yeah, Any any any crazy things you've been
• 41:07
  Speaker 4: asked or told that you could share with me tonight
• 41:09
  Speaker 4: on the podcast, Like any crazy questions you've been asked
• 41:12
  Speaker 4: there or any and you've been told, you know, like
• 41:15
  Speaker 4: oh my god, you know what?
• 41:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, take it from there. What had been told or
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: asked that like just got in your mind?
• 41:26
  Speaker 3: God, well there was There was one time I can remember,
• 41:34
  Speaker 3: uh being in a grad Roy store and I had
• 41:40
  Speaker 3: a service dog at the time, and I heard a
• 41:47
  Speaker 3: little boy asked his mom why does she have that dog?
• 41:54
  Speaker 3: And the mom said, oh, she's blind, And I'll yeah, no,
• 42:08
  Speaker 3: not really, Like this is.
• 42:11
  Speaker 2: Nineteen ninety that this all started in twenty twenty four.
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: Do you still find nievite if you will in the
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: regular everyday life, like when you go out or are
• 42:22
  Speaker 2: people more more inclined to just you know, not and
• 42:27
  Speaker 2: smile instead of asking you stupid questions?
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: Let me ask you that.
• 42:30
  Speaker 3: Well, So my best friend is also a wheelchair user,
• 42:37
  Speaker 3: and she and I will go hang out a lot
• 42:42
  Speaker 3: like go to restaurants and whatever. And several times we've
• 42:53
  Speaker 3: been out and someone will comment to us, it's so
• 43:01
  Speaker 3: great to see you guys out.
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: That just sounds so passive, aggressive or degrading.
• 43:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, can you are you able to have a night life?
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: So I full the soldier.
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: I took my ex girlfriend out to LA and there
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: really were night live spots where there weren't really even elevators, just.
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: Was stairs going upstairs and she was in a power chair.
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: Now do you find that a challenge in the night
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: life world or do you go out.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: At night like that? Like, what's what's your social scene
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: like for you?
• 43:41
  Speaker 3: Well, I'm I'm old now, I'm like fifty one, so yeah,
• 43:51
  Speaker 3: I don't go on to off And although when I
• 43:58
  Speaker 3: was I moved here when I was twenty seven, so.
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: Uh wow, so you were you were you were past
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: kind of going out to that in that yeahs type
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: of thing.
• 44:19
  Speaker 3: I wasn't. Yeah, that wasn't my scene, but I did
• 44:26
  Speaker 3: go to a lot of concerts and again partly because
• 44:33
  Speaker 3: it's California, they did whatever they could make it accessible.
• 44:43
  Speaker 2: Oh, SOFI Stadium looks so beautiful. I'm sure it's very
• 44:46
  Speaker 2: accessible as well. Uh, in that downtown.
• 44:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, I would like to go there.
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: But yeah, all right, what one last thing for me
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: my audience that doesn't understand what neuro muscular means, just
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: give a sort of a layman terms of you, well,
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: what that means for my listeners so they can maybe
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: understand a little more about what you've been going through
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: since age seventeen and what you adapted to.
• 45:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah. So basically, my brain doesn't really talk to any
• 45:24
  Speaker 3: my nerves very well, so it's kind of like they're rusty,
• 45:33
  Speaker 3: and in the addition to them not speaking that great,
• 45:44
  Speaker 3: I don't produce an end time that lets you create muscle.
• 45:56
  Speaker 3: So creating muscle is a difficult thing for me to do.
• 46:04
  Speaker 3: It's possible, it just takes a long time.
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: I have to say.
• 46:13
  Speaker 2: Obviously, this most of us effects the motor skills and
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: the speech.
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: And did you go to therapy early.
• 46:20
  Speaker 2: On, like OTPT and even speech? Like what was that
• 46:23
  Speaker 2: recovery process like through therapy?
• 46:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah? I did PT, and I it never really took.
• 46:37
  Speaker 3: I didn't really see the point of it, and it
• 46:42
  Speaker 3: got to the point to where whenever I did it,
• 46:47
  Speaker 3: I felt worse, So I didn't want to keep doing it.
• 46:54
  Speaker 3: If it was just going to make me feel worse.
• 47:00
  Speaker 1: Understood.
• 47:00
  Speaker 2: Well, this has been really insightful Jennifer Gastner, and I'd
• 47:04
  Speaker 2: love to have you back on as the writing continues.
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: Do you have a do you have an actual I
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: know you have a website. You have a blog as
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: well that we can follow.
• 47:12
  Speaker 3: Uh. Yeah, the blug is on my website Jennifer Gastner
• 47:19
  Speaker 3: dot com.
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: I'll put all those links, including the link to your
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: book Ria Amazon on the on the description below. You know,
• 47:29
  Speaker 2: se O is everything today, so make sure to get
• 47:32
  Speaker 2: all the links out for you. Jennifer, thanks so much,
• 47:35
  Speaker 2: and we'll do this again soon.
• 47:38
  Speaker 3: Thank you. I look forward to it.
• 47:41
  Speaker 2: Thanks for joining the One Leg Up Network. I'm Alex Garrett.
• 47:44
  Speaker 2: Talk to you soon.