https://youtu.be/0Ko0X9LPudY
Brookanne Clark, who’s 40, is one of three siblings born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). She, unfortunately, lost one of her brothers but remains close to the other brother. Both live in Dallas, Texas. Brookanne has a great outlook and is a natural caregiver, taking care of family members, friends’ children, and helping out a friend who has a dog training and grooming business. In this interview, Brookanne shares about life growing up as one of 3 with a rare disease; her role as a caregiver to many; and her own personal experiences managing SMA.
Below is the transcript of our interview. You can also watch the interview or scroll down to the bottom of the page to listen to the podcast.
Matt: Hello, and welcome to Situation Positive. My name's Matt Cavallo and I'm here today with Brookeanne Clark. Brookeanne, welcome to the show.
Brookanne: Thank you for having me. Glad to be here.
Matt: And we're so thrilled to have you here. Before we get going. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Brookanne: I was born in Dallas, Texas. My parents were both teachers and coaches. My mom did all the girls' sports. My dad did all the boy sports. I'm the oldest of three children. I have two younger brothers, Tommy and Jeffery. We all three have muscular dystrophy and our parents raised us that we were no different from anyone else. So we are expected to go to school and get a job and do all those things. So I went, I graduated from Texas A & M in 04, and then I taught for a while. And now I'm helping a friend with her business.
Brookanne Clark celebrates her 40th birthday in style.
Go Aggies. I had one of my good friends, went to Texas A & M and he's always told me about the football games down there.
Matt: He said, it's one of the best schools you could ever go to.
Brookanne: Oh for sure. We still have season tickets. So.
Matt: Oh do you? So do you live, is that a far drive from your house?
Brookanne: It's about two to three hours, like two hours and 45 minutes, three hours. It's not bad.
Matt: Oh, very cool. And so you came from a family of teachers and coaches, and then you got into teaching. So what did, what did you teach?
Brookanne: I taught second grade.
Matt: Taught second grade. And so you did that for a few years, and now you're working, working with a friend on a, it was a dog training business, right.
Brookanne: She also runs the an and she has her own business. So I just help her, like, things like that she needs to be done. That she doesn't have time to do.
Matt: Yeah. I have two dogs that need training. I got two little, one-year-old puppies. So, but I'm, I'm out here in Arizona. You're in the Dallas area. Correct? So you mentioned that both you and your brothers have muscular dystrophy, is that correct?
Brookanne: Yes. We have spinal muscular dystrophy. Where it is one of the forty different kinds.
Matt: One of the four different kinds?
Brookanne: Forty. There are forty different kinds.
Matt: Oh, wow. I didn't know that. So there are 40 different kinds of muscular dystrophy. And you mentioned you're the oldest, correct?
Brookanne: Yes, I am the oldest.
Matt: So does that kind of you know, do you have to be big sis to your little brother?
Brookanne: I do, but they're much smarter than me and way wiser than me. So it kind of evens out. Yeah.
Matt: Now I think growing up with muscular dystrophy and having parents who are teachers and parents who are coaches, did that help you assimilate to life? Despite having the challenges that come with muscular dystrophy?
Brookanne: I think absolutely because you know, parents being coaches, like they kind of have this no-excuses mentality and just figure out a way to do it. I remember when my mom said that she put me, that it was time for me to be enrolled in elementary school. And if you took me out there and enroll me in kindergarten and they told her, oh no,
