Tammy Lanning Schuman

Scooter Sagas: Coping with Ataxia Tammy Lanning Schuman

Author Tammy Schuman led an active, charmed life. She was healthy and worked as a registered nurse in a good career; she was able to run and travel, and she had a great family and friends. Her entire life changed, however, in 1996 when she was diagnosed with spinocerebellar ataxia, a progressive neurological movement disorder. Everything she had built her life on shifted. She still had great family and friends, but the rest was slipping away. In the Scooter Sagas: Coping with Ataxia, Schuman narrates her experiences by sharing her snarky emails, private journaling, website chatting, and public blogging. In this memoir, she describes the reality of living with ataxia and the ways in which it affects every aspect of her life. She also relays her motorized scooting experiences with Skeeter, the inanimate best friend who gives her the freedom to get outside and be more mobile. With humor, the Scooter Sagas: Coping with Ataxia provides firsthand insight into one woman's battles with a movement disorder and her fight to maintain her independence and dignity.