Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Equifax
Search every verified Kate Walker interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2024 interview, Kate Walker discussed her experience living with Friedreich's ataxia (FA), a rare progressive neuromuscular disease she was diagnosed with at age 12. Walker stated that she became a full-time wheelchair user during her sophomore year of high school and noted that FA affects approximately 15,000 people worldwide. She said the diagnosis forced her to grow up quickly and taught her empathy, adding that she initially feared joining a sorority in college due to concerns about how others might perceive her disability. Walker described feeling welcomed when she first attended a Kappa Delta (KD) sorority event and said the organization helped her connect with others for fundraising efforts she had been involved in since high school. She encouraged other disabled individuals to remember they are not alone.
“So, I was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia, or FA, in 2016 when I was 12, so I was just about going into high school.”
“FA is a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease — you lose your balance and coordination over time, and I became a full-time wheelchair user when I was a sophomore in high school.”
“FA is so rare; there's only 15,000 people in the world that have it.”
“When I was first diagnosed and growing up with FA, everybody that was on social media and had FA or similar diseases was older, like adults, and I was looking for someone that was like going through high school.”
When she was 12, Kate was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia — a rare, progressive neurogenetic condition that affects 4000 ...
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