​She is one of the best speakers we have ever had (in the 9 years I've been here)! Her story was riveting, shocking, funny, sad, but most of all encouraging...
Meet Jean Sharon Abbott
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2021 Distinguished Alumni, WSU
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2022 Chapter Member of the Year, NSA MN
​Jean Abbott was misdiagnosed as a young child with Spastic Diplegia, a form of
Cerebral Palsy. After 33 years of countless doctor’s visits, medical procedures,
unnecessary medications and surgeries, she was correctly diagnosed with Dopa
Responsive Dystonia (DRD) and given a new life!
 
Jean is the author of Misdiagnosed: My Thirty-Year Struggle with a Debilitating
Disorder I Never Had and has appeared on the Today show, Good Housekeeping and the U.K.'s Daily Mail. Since then, an overwhelming number of people from around the world have contacted Jean to tell her how inspired they were by her journey from  “wheels to heels”.

 As a mother of three children, Jean enjoys all the adventures of her new life, but wouldn't change the journey that brought her to where she is today. Her positive attitude is highly contagious as she encourages others to appreciate the little things in life.
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