FA can top a bloody nose

Earlier this year, my oldest nephew was smooching (chastely, no doubt) a girl when he got a nose bleed. The blood got on both of them obviously, and while she was a good sport about it and even called him later, my nephew told my little sister that it was like his body said: What's the most embarrassing thing we can do to him?

I, of course, can think of some worse things. For instance, you could be taking off your shirt but when you get it over your face you lose your balance and flip over the arm of your chair and wind up squished between your bed and your chair with a shirt over your eyes. Hopefully, if this happens, you will have a strong nephew handy to help you back up.

I did. My oldest sister and some of her family visited last week, so he was able to help me and he finally told me the bloody nose story. My little sister had told me when it happened and I wanted to write this then but she was like, No, that makes me a bad aunt for telling you. Whatever but I didn't write it then, but better late than never.

To my nephew's credit, he has used his embarrassment to remain friends with the gal. He said he texted her recently "Got a bloody nose, thinking of you." He is so much cooler than I, and I am so glad he can't think of a more embarrassing bodily mishap. I hope he never can.

His mom once wrote a piece for the newspaper she was working for about having two brothers with Friedreich's ataxia. She had something in there about watching her kids for ant possible signs that might indicate FA. Her kids and all but two of my nieces and nephews were born before there was a blood test for FA.

She watches her kids. I watch everyone from that generation in my family for a trip or some loss of balance.

I would feel so guilty if someone else in my family got FA, not that I have anything to do with it.

One of my nephews told me on vacation one year that he would probably have FA, or at least end up in a chair like me. This was cool with him because we would live together and wheel around egging people and fleeing in our chairs. He was pretty young at the time, but this nephew is still kind of odd. He'd probably enjoy the egging.

Mom loved hearing this. She said I had done such a great thing by removing any fear of wheelchairs from my nephew. I was chilled, and not because I was egged as a little kid and it was so awful.

I don't want my little people (and even though they are taller than me they are still my little people) to even contemplate living with FA. I live with it. I know I can. I don't think I am particularly strong or special, but it is so hard. Every day is a struggle. Every damn day.

I don't want that for them. Plus, it doesn't look like I'll have kids so I'll need someone to take care of me when I am older.