A Journey to Advocacy

When Kyle Bryant was diagnosed with the rare neuromuscular disease Friedreich's ataxia, it upended his sense of himself and his future as he began to wrestle with feelings of anger and depression. His life changed, though, when he read about a man with multiple sclerosis and his use of a recumbent trike, an adult-sized tricycle with a reclined seat. Bryant was inspired and shortly planned a cross-country bike trip with his father to raise money for Friedreich's ataxia research, a journey he chronicled in his book “Shifting into High Gear.” We spoke to Bryant, director of Ride Ataxia at the Friedreich's ataxia Research Alliance and co-host of the Two Disabled Dudes podcast, about his bike journey, how it changed his relationship with his disease, and how it gave rise to his work as an advocate.