Kat’s Kourage — Kathryn Blalock

Hailing from Edmond, Oklahoma, Kathryn lives with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, blindness, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Kathryn is the social media manager for the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome Foundation and is passionate about disability advocacy, horseback riding, boxing, baking, caring for children, and writing. She shares her story to offer hope and encouragement.

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Navigating the double whammy of blindness and OCD

Before I underwent treatment, living with Bardet-Biedl syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often felt like a double whammy. While vision loss affected how I navigated the world around me, OCD influenced how I experienced it. Blindness often exacerbated my OCD because I couldn’t always see what was around…

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My journey with blindness from Bardet-Biedl syndrome began as a child

When I think about how Bardet-Biedl syndrome, an inherited multisystemic disorder, has affected my life, the first thing that comes to mind is how much my vision has been affected. My journey with vision loss began very early in life. I was around 2 years old the first time…

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My life with Bardet-Biedl syndrome is about more than a diagnosis

From birth, my story was marked by uncertainty. My kidneys were so enlarged that doctors didn’t expect me to live. At first, they believed I had autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, but then I survived. As I grew, doctors continued to keep an eye on me and closely monitored my…