Jeffery Figley and Roman Stadtler graduated from Western Washington University about 15 years apart but both wound up working at The Comics Place together. They have both been reading comics most of their lives and for Stadtler, comics inspired him during a difficult battle with cancer. 

“Spider-Man, Ben Grimm, Steve Rogers, Superman,” Stadtler said. “None of these guys would ever give up. I’ve been reading these stories my whole life. If those stories are going to mean anything and have value, I can’t give up either,” Stadtler said.

Braden Hansen, a high school senior, works on his homework at his house in Mukilteo, Wash.. Hansen, 18, was diagnosed with narcolepsy last year, a rare sleep disorder for teenagers. For Klipsun Magazine

HERMANN ON HIS RECUMBENT BIKE ON BELLINGHAM’S RAILROAD TRAIL NEAR WHATCOM FALLS PARK. A RECUMBENT BIKE HAS HELPED HERMANN GET OUTSIDE TO STAY ACTIVE AND HAS ALSO SERVED AS AN ALTERNATE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION. For Klipsun Magazine

CATHERINE GOFF HAS BEEN WORKING AT ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL’S CHILDBIRTH CENTER SINCE 1989 AND SAYS THAT BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN HELPING DELIVER BABIES FOR SO LONG SHE DOESN’T REMEMBER MOST BIRTHS, UNLESS SOMETHING GOES WRONG. For Klipsun Magazine

BRADEN HANSEN USES HIS COMPUTER FOR HOMEWORK AT HIS HOME IN MUKILTEO. TO HELP DEAL WITH HIS DISORDER, HANSEN ADHERES TO SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP REDUCE FATIGUE LIKE AVOIDING ALCOHOL AND NICOTINE. For Klipsun Magazine
 

HANSEN OCCASIONALLY TAKES NAPS DURING THE DAY TO HELP REDUCE HIS SYMPTOMS OF NARCOLEPSY. HANSEN’S CASE OF NARCOLEPSY MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY MULTIPLE CONCUSSIONS HE SUFFERED WHILE PLAYING SPORTS; SUCH as GETTING KNOCKED OUT PLAYING BASEBALL. For Klipsun Magazine

RICK HERMANN (RIGHT) PEDALS AWAY DURING HIS YMCA SPIN CLASS THAT HELPS HIM COMBAT THE SYMPTOMS OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE. CLASS MEMBERS SPEND THE HOUR TALKING OR LISTENING TO MUSIC. For Klipsun Magazine

Rick Hermann, 65, poses for a portrait on his recumbent bicycle. Hermann, who has Parkinson’s disease, was having increasing difficulty riding his bike until he found recumbent bikes, which help alleviate the stress on the body by placing the seat lower and further back in a reclined position on the bike. For Klipsun Magazine

THE PEDALING FOR PARKINSON’S CLASS CONSISTS OF A 10-MINUTE WARM UP, FOLLOWED BY A 40-MINUTE SESSION KEEPING THE BIKE AROUND 90 RPM AND ENDING WITH A 10-MINUTE COOL DOWN. For Klipsun Magazine

TRACY DHIEL, AN INSTRUCTOR AND LEADER OF THE PEDALING FOR PARKINSON’S CLASS AT THE YMCA, CHATS WITH PARTICIPANTS DURING THE HOUR BIKE RIDE. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT SPIN CLASSES LIKE THIS ONE CAN HELP REDUCE SYMPTOMS FOR PARKINSON’S BY AROUND 35 PERCENT, ACCORDING TO THE YMCA. For Klipsun Magazine