Purchase

Ready to Run: Living With Muscular Dystrophy is forthcoming from Palmetto Publishing, June 7, 2025. 

It will be available in paperback, e-book, and audiobook formats.  Ordering information will be shared here when available.

About Ready to Run:

Melissa Haugen felt alone after her diagnosis of muscular dystrophy which can be (and often is) a life-altering diagnosis. However, because the conditions under the muscular dystrophy umbrella are relatively rare, it can be both a frightening and isolating disease. 

Despite having a wonderful family, Melissa felt lost when doctors confirmed her type as Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2i (LGMD2i). As such, she turned to one of her safe spaces: writing. 

Creating a journal for herself to speak her feelings into existence has now turned into so much more. Melissa has created Read to Run as a memoir, a resource, and a friend to listen to. It's written for more than just those who have been recently diagnosed; it's for those living with muscular dystrophy, who know someone with the disease, or anyone who wants a perspective of someone living with muscular dystrophy. 

Explicitly open and intimately honest, Ready to Run is a look into Melissa's life and journey after her diagnosis. Readers will live with her through:

Early school and her diagnosis.

Mental health struggles.

Finding a passion in life.

Dating and getting married.

... and so much more.