Maggie Slighte was born and raised and raised 3 children in Western Washington. Her early adulthood was spent first in the medical field and then as a computer programmer. Having been told there was “no money in writing,” her dreams bled into journals while she raised her family and worked for the State of Washington.

Maggie finished her Bachelor’s Degree in Nonfiction writing at Southern New Hampshire University in August 2017.

After exposure to an antibiotic (levofloxacin) in mid-2017, Maggie’s disabilities profoundly increased. While her stature is different in a powerchair, she has found a new opportunity for her spirit of advocacy while traveling over broken sidewalks.

The fluoroquinolone toxicity uncovered the fact that Maggie was born with a congenital condition. Following her antibiotic injury, she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in 2019. Maggie was 53 years old when she learned she was born with the congenital connective tissue disorder.

In 2021, Maggie entered a new phase of her life by opening a TikTok account to increase her audience of advocacy. After her first viral video in August, TikTok became her primary social media with an audience of over 20k followers.

That same year, Maggie started a podcast about her various self-advocacy efforts called Slightely Maggie. She isn’t as prolific at publishing episodes as she wants to be, but she is able to put voice to efforts that don’t fit elsewhere within the podcast that is simulcast on her YouTube channel as a vlog.

Maggie published her first cookbook in December 2022: Intergenerational Cooking: An autistic grandma shares family recipes.

When she isn’t writing, advocating, or traveling, Maggie enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and her dog, and her caregivers.