Michael Mantz, Author at Michaelmantz

By

Michael Mantz

Choking on Water: When Ataxia Affects Swallowing

Michael MantzNovember 10, 2026Ataxia Awareness, My Story, Resilient Voices

We’ve all had that moment when a drink of water goes down the wrong pipe. You start coughing, struggle to catch your breath, and wonder how something so simple can cause so much trouble. Usually, it’s over in a minute or two, and you don’t think much about it afterward. For me, it happens more...

What You See Isn’t Always What Someone Is Living With

Michael MantzOctober 22, 2026Ataxia Awareness, My Story, Resilient Voices

Invisible Disabilities Week 2026 | October 18–24 Last Saturday, my balance was much worse than usual. I’d slept well, and nothing particularly stressful was going on. Living with Ataxia, I’m no stranger to being unsteady on my feet, but this was different. For most of the day, I couldn’t stand without holding on to something....

A Win for A-T Isn’t a Win for SCA15, But It Still Matters

Michael MantzOctober 6, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development, Resilient Voices

On September 18, the FDA approved a drug called AQNEURSA for ataxia-telangiectasia, a rare, inherited form of ataxia that mostly appears in childhood. It’s the first treatment ever approved specifically for A-T, which is a genuinely big deal. I don’t have A-T myself. I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 15, a different condition entirely. But I...

Awareness Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

Michael MantzSeptember 25, 2026Ataxia Awareness, My Story, Resilient Voices

What actually changes in your life the day after someone becomes aware of it? I’ve been thinking about that question lately. International Ataxia Awareness Day is coming up, so many of us in the Ataxia community will spend the day doing exactly what the name suggests. We’ll share our stories and try to explain a...

REM sleep behavior disorder vs sleepwalking

Why Am I Having Such Weird Dreams? Reviewing What the Research Actually Says

Michael MantzSeptember 8, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development, Resilient Voices

I was scrolling through a support group recently and came across a post from someone asking whether anyone else experiences unusually vivid, unsettling dreams and a strange, off feeling upon waking. He couldn’t quite explain it, only that something about his sleep had changed in a way he didn’t yet have words for. A few...

The Space Tech Backpack for Ataxia, and Where It Actually Stands

Michael MantzSeptember 1, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development

I recently came across an article about a backpack built with real aerospace technology. It uses the same gyroscopic principle that keeps satellites oriented in orbit, and is designed specifically to help people with ataxia stand and walk more steadily. It’s the kind of headline that sounds made up until you read the actual study...

Nobody’s Ever Told Me I Need Occupational Therapy for Ataxia

Michael MantzAugust 25, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Resilient Voices

Nobody’s ever told me I need occupational therapy. Not a doctor, not my neurologist, not my physical therapist. So I’ve never asked what it could do for me. That’s not the same as deciding I don’t need it. It’s closer to never having the conversation. Physical therapy comes up constantly in the ataxia community, mine...

An Update in Friedreich’s Ataxia Research

Michael MantzAugust 18, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development

Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found a way to reactivate a gene that is silenced in Friedreich’s ataxia. The study was published on August 5. FA isn’t my type of ataxia; I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 15, a different condition with a different genetic cause. But research like this often matters beyond the...

Trunk Instability: Where Your Ataxia Starts Matters

Michael MantzAugust 11, 2026Ataxia Awareness, My Story, Resilient Voices

Most writing about ataxia focuses on the legs. Gait, tripping, falls, the mechanics of walking when your feet don’t quite trust the ground. That’s fair, since it’s the most visible symptom and the one people ask about first. But ataxia doesn’t originate the same way in everyone. For me, the instability isn’t mainly in my...

What Happens When You Stop Pretending You’re Fine

Michael MantzAugust 4, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Resilient Voices

There’s a performing version of you that shows up in public, at work, at family dinners, in the grocery store, who has it mostly together. Moves well. Answers questions with something that sounds true. Doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable. Most people have some version of this. The question nobody asks is what it costs. I’ve been...