Desiree Lama is a 20-something-year-old PhD student living in Austin, Texas. She was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis during high school at only 17 years old but began experiencing symptoms at 14. Since a young age, she has found a safe haven in writing because her grandma fostered her love for words and learning. Desiree lives her life through being authentically human in a superficial world. In this column, she will share personal memos of being a disabled, bisexual Mexican woman in an overcritical world. Desiree hopes that this column will encapsulate the captivatingly burdensome feelings of human existence, especially for those with MS.
Too often, I’d find myself amid joyful moments with loved ones, struggling to keep irritability at bay. At those times, my mind would stagger between living in the happiness of the moment or an…
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Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) brings both highs and lows to my life. Sometimes these moments will fluctuate throughout the day, while other times, the highs and lows can last for days at a…
Being diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis doesn’t necessarily mean that other health complications or conditions won’t arise. According to an article published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, multiple…
After I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, I thought I’d never find a partner who understood the complexities and nuances of my condition. For years, I wondered, “If I…
In the world of chronic illness, people tend to be perceived differently depending on the visibility of their condition. Some illnesses are easily noticeable while others aren’t, but both pose significant challenges to day-to-day…
Identity development is a deeply unique process in which people establish a clear sense of self. Different stages occur during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The process of developing an identity has always…
As I write this, I feel mentally, physically, and emotionally well — something I always take advantage of before my health goes downhill, as it will sometimes. The only issue I struggle with in…
I was sitting in an introductory biology class during the second semester of my freshman year in high school when things started going downhill. The teacher was presenting a lesson about the functions of…
Because of the emotional and mental toll that my relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis diagnosis had on me, I wanted a cat to help me cope with and navigate life with the condition. I knew…
Two weeks ago, I was notified that one of the lesions on my brain has grown. This led me and my care team to decide it was time to switch multiple…
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