Alison Miles, USA, 34 years old.
I have always been more clumsy than athletic. Slips, trips, and falls were part of everyday life, but in my childhood the damage was limited to a beet-red face, a scraped knee, or at most, a sprained ankle.
In adulthood, those minor missteps led to scarier moments - sliding down the stairs while several months pregnant; slipping on a wood floor while holding my 6-month old infant. I landed in the hospital more than once and was grateful to leave without any lasting damage to myself or my children.
Fast-forward a few years, and I found my clumsiness turning into outright unsteadiness and fatigue. After months of doctor's visits, tests, and more tests, I was diagnosed in January 2018 with Pompe disease. This was no easy pill to swallow, but over time I learned to accept my diagnosis and chose to grip joy despite my fears and uncertainties.
Moving forward meant taking action against one of my biggest adversaries: slippery wood floors. I found myself buying ill-fitting hospital and slipper socks to avoid falling. While they improved my stability, they were ugly and impractical and constantly led me to think of the disease which I was trying so hard to not let define me. Eventually, I decided it was time to create my own - normal, comfortable socks with discreet grips that fit easily into shoes.
I started the company Gripjoy in October 2018, and have since had more than 5,000 customer sock orders, with 10% of all profits going to support the Pompe community! What initially felt like a lonely path has been anything but. New friends, new experiences, and a new perspective on what is (and is not) important in life truly is a gift.
While Pompe is not a path I would have ever chosen for myself, I am already grateful for what it has taught me in the short time since my diagnosis. Today, and every day, I'll choose to grip joy as I move on with Pompe.
