The story of Kristen Binder

Hi my name is Kristen Binder. I’m 38 years old. I reside in Oswego, NY. I have struggled all my life with walking and balancing issues, among many other symptoms.

Spastic paraplegia 7 (SPG7) is characterized by insidiously progressive bilateral leg weakness and spasticity. Most affected individuals have decreased vibration sense and cerebellar signs. Onset is mostly in adulthood, although symptoms may start as early as age 11 years and as late as age 72 years. Additional features including ataxia (gait and limbs), spastic dysarthria, dysphagia, pale optic disks, ataxia, nystagmus, strabismus, ptosis, hearing loss, motor and sensory neuropathy, amyotrophy, scoliosis, pes cave’s, and urinary sphincter disturbances may be observed.