They determined Peter had inherited the DM gene from his father, whose two siblings had been living with symptoms of the disease. \u201cI had seen my aunt wear leg braces, but her family never told us about DM because we all looked healthy,\u201d Peter shared. His father, who was asymptomatic, lived a healthy life until the age of 79. \u201cHe had back problems and cataracts, but those are such common symptoms that can happen to anybody as they age.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the diagnosis, Peter continued to lead an active life. That year alone, he: played ice hockey in a local men\u2019s league; played first base for an intra-company softball team; and ran the half-mile leg of the relay-race portion of the \u201cCorporate Cup\u201d, the 5K Catfish Festival Race, and the 4-mile Easter Beach Run. His physical decline has been slow but steady over the years, and despite his efforts, Peter has since lost about 40 lbs.<\/p>\n
Peter and his wife-to-be,\u00a0Lorie, who had been dating for around three years at the time of his diagnosis, married two years later in 1993.<\/p>\n
Living in Boston for the first five years of their marriage, Peter\u2019s commute to work involved a subway ride and 3-mile walk, which gradually became more difficult as years passed and his symptoms became more pronounced. By 1997, he started experiencing issues standing without assistance. Looking for support, Peter decided to visit a Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) clinic, who recommended the usage of ankle foot orthosis (AFO).\u00a0Incredibly, these AFO braces helped him walk without extra help for over 20 years!<\/em><\/p>\n As their love for each other grew, Peter and Lorie started thinking about the future of their family. Instead of having children with the possibility of inheriting the disease, they\u00a0decided to adopt. In 2004, they brought home a baby girl from Guatemala, who is now a sophomore in college.<\/p>\n \u201cAt 61, I am now fairly disabled. I refer to my inability to do things as tipping points,\u201d Peter said. \u201cI do things until I can\u2019t, like I can\u2019t play guitar anymore, I can\u2019t skate anymore, I can\u2019t drive anymore, and now I can\u2019t walk, so I get around on my scooter these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Lately Peter has been an active advocate for the DM Community and has been involved with a number of Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation support groups. \u201cI want to help out the DM community as much as I can,\u201d Peter said. \u201cI want to volunteer, advance the cause and advance the research.\u201d\u00a0He has even been involved in\u00a0clinical trials and studies for myotonic dystrophy<\/a>, including an antisense pre-trial bio-measures study at the University of Florida in 2014.<\/p>\n Aside from his involvement with the DM community, Peter and Lorie enjoy going to rock concerts. Their recent concerts include Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers and Santana.\u00a0Peter has also recently reinvigorated his passion for reading. Science fiction and historical fiction are some of his favorite book genres.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/myotonic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/1_Ingraham-Peter-Family-web.png\")
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