Hi, my name is Daniel Queirolo, I’m Brazilian, 39 years old, married to an incredible woman and with an equally incredible 3-year-old daughter.

About 2 years ago, I suffered from burnout caused by a huge workload, combined with a toxic boss and a terrible work environment. I felt really bad. Depression, anxiety attacks, panic attacks. It was two horrible years and everything got worse when I found out I had Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

For years, I had been trying to find out why I had double vision (diplopia), and no doctor could find the reason. I started to feel a kind of dizziness that wasn’t dizziness, and a slight imbalance. It was always episodic, but the symptoms got worse, until I realized that these symptoms were very similar to those my grandfather, aunt and father had.

When I realized, even without a medical diagnosis, that I had ataxia, all the symptoms of burnout intensified. I thought that soon I would no longer be able to draw, play the guitar, sing, carry my daughter in my arms and ride a bike, things that I love and are part of my identity. The depression became so strong that I almost committed suicide, but I heard a voice telling me:

“If you kill yourself, the pain and suffering will end for you, but all the joy and precious time with your family and friends will also end. You haven’t tried everything yet.”

From that day on, I have been researching, reading, studying, talking and debating about Spinocerebellar Ataxia, neurogenesis (the ability to create new neurons), good practices and exercises for ataxics, and everything related to the subject.

I discovered some practical actions that could create new neurons – all with scientific support – and I acted quickly: I started training intensely for mountain running; I take Omega 3, Resveratrol and Lion’s Mane mushroom extract supplements; I meditate, I am learning a very difficult language (Hungarian) and I have been living a more relaxed life.

I decided to start raising money to fund scientific research in search of a cure for Ataxia, focused on the use of CRISPR CAS9 technology, and now I’m starting to plan the first actions. I created an Instagram @goirondan, where I post my training, races and goals with the aim of raising awareness about Ataxia, and also being able to raise funds for research in the future.

Since March 13, 2024, after considering killing myself, I have changed my life. The subtype of Ataxia I have is 27B, with slow degenerative progression, and it can take about 10 years for the symptoms to become persistent and not episodic, but I decided to live my life to the fullest!

Today I am an amateur athlete, I live my life more and more in nature, using my body as much as I can while I still can. I went back to drawing professionally while I still can, and I’m studying guitar even more deeply, while I still can.

I decided that I don’t want to regret not having lived everything I could, while I could.

I decided for life, not death.

I decided for the joy of living one day at a time, and not for the conformity of the condition that my DNA terribly imposes on me.

I decided that I want to help other people go through these dark moments, making peace with their shadows, and walking together, hand in hand, doing everything possible to have the best of life with the condition we have, until we find a cure.