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Bell ringer doesn’t allow disease slow her down

Carolyn Fenchak of Ebensburg is an excellent musician, at one time playing the trumpet, her fingers flying over the valves to play the quick eighth notes.

Fenchak is still great at music, but she’s had to make some changes, because life has thrown her some unexpected challenges.

That’s OK, though, because Fenchak has a new instrument, and a group of friends and fellow musicians who’ll be there for her as long as she wants to keep playing with them, they said.

Fenchak first saw the handbell choir perform at the First United Church of Christ in Ebensburg at Christmas about 13 years ago. She decided to give it a try and has stayed ever since.

But Fenchak also found out she has what’s called Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare disease that causes nervous system damage and movement problems. According to the National Institutes of Health website, the condition has no cure and worsens with time.

She noticed that the disease affects her balance, coordination and motor skills, she said. She has progressed through the years from walking with assistance to using a cane to now relying on a walker.

After she had the walker awhile, she decided, with reluctance, that maybe she should quit the choir because she thought she was holding the group back, she said.

“I felt I was not able to perform to that level that was helping them move forward,” she said.

But the choir wouldn’t hear of letting Fenchak go, said Ann Makin, director of the bell choir.

“We would have none of that,” she said. “As long as she can, she’s with us.”

Fenchak said she was not only relieved to hear the group’s response, she felt welcomed anew. She really didn’t want to leave the closely-knit unit of the dozen women who gather every week to not only practice but to share stories of their daily lives.

Her daughter has also become a part of the church group, she said.

“It made me feel really awesome to hear them say that to me,” Fenchak said. “The bells have really been my salvation.”

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