• Wesley Graft and his wife both work full-time in education and have a 1-year-old daughter. • Shortly after his daughter was born, Graft was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy, a nerve damage condition. • Graft and his wife manage with a lot of coordination, planning, and help from their support network.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Wesley Graft, a 37-year-old director of student services at a school in Chatsworth, California. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In the weeks leading up to my daughter's birth, it felt like a boa constrictor was wrapped around my legs. I had trouble with my coordination, and my legs felt very tight.

My doctor told me it was peripheral neuropathy, a nerve damage condition that affects the limbs, hands, and

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