CMT's Fab Five

Long ago when I started my blog just to keep my family updated, I never imagined how far it would take me.   I have met some amazing individuals and I am so grateful to have them as part of my life. My very first CMT-BFF whom I met, is my dear Jessica of In The Pursuit of Pretty Shoes. Jess actually came to the hospital during my first surgery and that has been the beginning of a beautiful friendship I am planning to have for life! She has stayed at my house several weekends, we have visited her in NYC, she traveled from Colorado for our wedding reception and she was the person who I talked to at the height of feeling down last November/December who helped me to see the light and start to feel better about everything.

CMT friends are uber special even though you may have never met them in person. CMT friends know and understand what you're going through. If I need to talk about my issues to a "regular" friend, even though they are very nice and understanding, I never feel truly comforted and end up wishing I hadn't "complained" so much. These last two years have shown me that I should rely more on these new cyber friends, who are such a real part of my life, and who are always willing to lend an ear and talk you through difficult times and are so happy to share in your happy ones.

I would love to introduce you to the other less known "Fab Five." We have all become great friends who have more in common than just a silly-named disease. We are young(ish...LOL), love life, always try to keep a positive attitude despite our difficulties, have very supportive families, and have shared passion for TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy. We have many similarities in our personal lives, yet our CMT symptoms could not be more different.

From top left: Melissa, Me, Esther, Nicole, and Lenka

Lenka lives in California and has 2 beautiful children. She interviewed me two years ago for CMT Awareness week podcast (listen HERE) and we've always kept in touch since. Nic lives in Canada, is addicted to the same TV shows I am and has 2 beautiful boys. She was kind enough to talk to me for almost 2 hours to help me with an issue and some CMT related questions I had. Melissa found my blog and read the entire thing in one night  (Insane!), is a super mama of 4 and lives in Utah. We have talked over the phone and several chats and she motivated me into looking at starting a support group in CT. Esther is a mom of 2 with a new baby on the way and lives the closest to me in NYC. It's mind-boggling we haven't met despite our best attempts. It will hopefully happen very soon.

These 4 ladies have helped me more than they can imagine and I am so grateful to each and every one of them. Someone PLEASE forward this post to Ellen so she can orchestrate a surprise meeting so we can become an overnight sensation like Sophia Grace and Rosie!!!! Seriously, I have never met any of them and it would be amazing to spend a few days together blabbing away. It might happen next summer, as Nic plans her family trip to the Big Apple.

Lenka had an amazing idea to do a joint blog where we can either re-post some of our entries or write original material in an attempt to raise more awareness for CMT. You can check it out here: Clicks for CMT: Bloggers Raising Awareness.

You can find all the bloggers and their sites here:
Melissa: My Life With CMT
Lenka: Lenkaland
Nicole: Nattering Nic
Esther: Contemporary Mom of Two