Neurological Archives - Michaelmantz

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Neurological

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...

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...

The Little Stuff that Actually Helps, Ataxia included

Michael MantzJuly 28, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Overall Wellness, Resilient Voices

Not every change worth making comes with a plan, a program, or a before-and-after photo. Some of it is smaller than that: five minutes here, a different afternoon snack there, or something you tried mostly out of curiosity and kept doing because it worked. I’ve written before about the bigger stuff: how food and energy...

What Is Voice Banking and Why You Should Know About It Now

Michael MantzJuly 7, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development, Resilient Voices

On June 29, 2026, former NFL running back Chris Johnson sat down with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America to discuss his ALS diagnosis. He is 40 years old and has not spoken in his natural voice for some time. But the voice from the speech-generating device he used sounded like him because it was...

When Ataxia Was Called Something Else: The History Nobody Talks About

Michael MantzJune 10, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Resilient Voices

Someone in an online Ataxia group recently asked a question that stopped me mid-scroll. They wanted to know if people with Ataxia symptoms might have been among those accused during the Salem Witch Trials… before anyone understood what was actually happening to them. It’s a good question. Honestly, it might be one of the best...

What Stress Actually Does to a Nervous System Like Mine

Michael MantzJune 5, 2026Ataxia Awareness, Overall Wellness, Resilient Voices

Most people treat stress as a mental problem. Something you manage with better habits, a cleaner calendar, maybe a meditation app. Work through it. Breathe through it. Talk yourself down. I’ve never had that option. For me, stress has always had a physical address. I have Spinocerebellar Ataxia, a progressive neurological condition that affects balance,...

Troriluzole Decision: When Hope Pauses for Ataxia

Michael MantzNovember 11, 2025Ataxia Awareness, Research and Development, Resilient Voices

This morning, I opened an email I wish had said something different. The subject line read: “FDA issues Complete Response Letter for Biohaven’s VYGLXIA (troriluzole).” Read Here In short, it wasn’t approved. For most people, that headline might scroll by unnoticed. But for those of us living with Ataxia, or part of the early access...

Confusion and Brain Fog as a Symptom of Ataxia

Michael MantzOctober 28, 2025Ataxia Awareness, Resilient Voices

Ever walk into a room and forget why you’re there? Now imagine that fog lasting all day. That’s what brain fog in Ataxia can feel like. I’ve been there. As my Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA) has progressed, these moments have become more frequent. It’s like starting the day with your headlights dimmed — you can still...

The First Fall That Made Me Stop Pretending

Michael MantzOctober 21, 2025Ataxia Awareness, My Story

“Oh no.” That’s all I had time to think as gravity took over. Time slowed in that way it did when you knew what was coming and there was nothing you could do to stop it. A millisecond stretched into forever, a slow-motion movie scene where the outcome was already written. I was six feet...

What Happens When We Actually Give a Sh*t

Michael MantzSeptember 2, 2025Ataxia Awareness, Resilient Voices

What is “awareness,” really—and why does it matter? Awareness is a word we hear constantly. There are awareness months, campaigns, and ribbons. But awareness is more than hashtags or recognition days—it’s how we choose to see each other, how we respond when someone is struggling, and what we do in the ordinary, unpolished moments when...