The word “ataxia”, comes from the Greek word, ” a taxis” meaning “without order or incoordination”. The word ataxia means without coordination. People with ataxia have problems with coordination because parts of the nervous system that control movement and balance are affected. Ataxia may affect the fingers, hands, arms, legs, body, speech, and eye movements. Ataxia is often used to describe a symptom of incoordination which can be associated with infections, injuries, other diseases, or degenerative changes in the central nervous system.
This site is a virtual community intended to be a safe place for patients and family members as young as age 12, to visit for information, discussion, venting and mutual support. Members come from many backgrounds. Some have a strong religious faith, and others no faith; some are children and others adults, rich and poor, graduate educated or taught by life. Our common denominators are that we share a life journey, and we try to help each other.
How is Ben’s Friends Different from Social Media and Other Support Sites?
Our mission at Ben’s Friends is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them.
We’re interested in you as a person, and in your struggles as a rare disease patient. But we don’t want to know your name or where you live. We won’t even allow you to use your real name when you register for one of our communities. Because when it comes to medical things, anonymity is important in our googly universe. Your information is never shared, and your activity never tracked by adware.
When Ben’s Friends asks for the country and region you live in, that’s in case your fellow members can recommend local resources and help, and so everyone knows what kind of medical system there is where you live. That’s important when it comes to giving and getting support. Because we are all about support, and we’re all in this together..
Ben’s Friends: Safe and Supportive.
And anonymous to keep it that way.
Why create an account?
Posts on the different Ben’s Friends communities can be read by anyone on the internet. You can browse through the different topics and find most of the information you’re looking for but there are many things you won’t be able to do unless you create an account. These include:
Making your own posts. Although you’re able to find useful information just by reading other members’ posts, you might still have a lot of questions in your mind. Either you want to start a new topic to talk about them in detail or you want to reply to a comment on a thread. These won’t be possible unless you create a new user account.
Viewing other members’ profiles. Member profiles include information about the country or region they are from, whether they are a patient or a caregiver, and details about their disease and treatments. Maybe you came across an interesting post and you want to learn more about the member. Or maybe you’re looking for members who are from the same country as you. Having a user account allows you to see other member profiles and find information that may be relevant.
Sending private messages. Aside from being able to post publicly and commenting on a thread, having a user account also allows you to send private messages both to other members and moderators. In case you want to discuss a topic only with a specific person, this is possible by sending private messages when you have created your account.
Click here to create an account and join.
Latest Discussion
- The Why Me syndromeby Chas521 on October 3, 2025
I find myself saying the “Why Me” thing now and then. 3 posts - 2 participants Read full topic
- Brain donation for studyby Muryb on October 1, 2025
I have offered my brain for study to NAF, but I haven’t received the information I requested. Has anyone done this or know what I need to do now? I’m in fairly good shape now but I’m 82 and I would like to have this in place before I can’t take care of it myself. I live in North Carolina,USA 2 posts - 2 participants […]
- 🙂. National Ataxia Foundation 2026 Conferenceby Beryl_Park on September 30, 2025
Every year our community comes together to learn, connect, and drive progress at the Annual Ataxia Conference (AAC). To ensure everyone has the chance to be part of this experience, Travel Grants and Virtual Scholarships are available to support participation in Orlando. Travel Grants for in-person attendees includes complimentary conference […]
- National Ataxia Foundation 2026 Annual Conferenceby Beryl_Park on September 30, 2025
Every year our community comes together to learn, connect, and drive progress at the Annual Ataxia Conference (AAC). To ensure everyone has the chance to be part of this experience, Travel Grants and Virtual Scholarships are available to support participation in Orlando. Travel Grants for in-person attendees includes complimentary conference […]
- 🙂 AtaxiaUK 2025 Virtual Conferenceby Beryl_Park on September 27, 2025
Virtual Annual Conference: 3 & 4 October 2025 Workshops announcement We’ve got a great selection of workshops lined up for this year’s virtual conference: Planning for Advanced Care Being a Carer: delivered by Carers UK All About Ataxia & Mental Health Mindfulness with Lucy Holland Chair Pilates with Sonia Ford Accessible Gardening: […]