Ready to Run: Living with Muscular Dystrophy

After being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, Melissa Haugen felt alone. In an effort to make others feel seen, she vulnerably shares her personal story of living with muscular dystrophy.

Muscular dystrophy can be (and often is) a life-altering diagnosis. However, because the conditions under the muscular dystrophy umbrella are relatively rare, it can be both a frightening and isolating disease.

Melissa felt lost after her diagnosis of Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2A (LGMD2A), despite having a wonderful family. As such, she turned to one of her safe spaces: writing.

Creating a journal for herself to speak her feelings into existence has now turned into so much more. Melissa has created Ready to Run as a memoir, a resource, and a friend to listen to. It's written for more than just those who have been recently diagnosed; it's for those living with muscular dystrophy, who know someone with the disease, or anyone who wants a perspective of someone living with muscular dystrophy.

Explicitly open and intimately honest, Ready to Run is a look into Melissa's life and journey before and after her diagnosis. Readers will live with her through:

• Early school and her diagnosis.
• Finding a passion in life.
• Dating and getting married.
• Mental health struggles.
• ...and so much more.

Melissa has never been defined by her disease and instead, she's found a way to tell her unique story in a way that makes others feel seen as well. Ready to Run is a must-read for any reader looking for a real story of perseverance, heart, and desperation to live life to the fullest, no matter what that means.