Welcome! I’m Kendra.

In 1994, my parents were given the devastating diagnosis that my brother had a form of muscular dystrophy called facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a progressive muscle wasting disease. Given that it is a genetic disorder, their doctor recommended that my parents strongly consider having more children. At the time, my mom was pregnant with my twin sister and me – so much for that idea! In my early years, my parents noticed the same symptoms that my brother displayed. From a very young age, I knew I had this disease that would affect my body due to progressive muscle loss.

Living with FSHD for three decades has given me a perspective on life that I may not have otherwise. Although I have always had a love for travel, after losing my brother to the disease in 2017, it felt more important than ever to live life to the fullest. I longed to venture to new places. In 2022, I began to use a wheelchair more regularly and every trip required more thorough planning than the one before. I have meticulously researched each trip before taking it, but information about accessibility in each destination was limited. I had a desire to get the information to other wheelchair users wanting to travel. Thus, Wheeling Wanderer was born.

Like many others with disabilities, I’m not going to let the disease win. I will continue to live my life and do the things that make me happy, one of which is traveling. Wheeling Wanderer is meant to help and inspire others to do the same. This is a space where I share my real-life experiences traveling, with an emphasis on wheelchair accessible destinations, activities in those destinations, and resources for traveling with a wheelchair.