Silver Linings – a Column by Jennifer Powell

Jennifer is a health writer and weekly columnist on multiple sclerosis. Diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, Jennifer is also an active advocate in the MS community. Jennifer imparts her hopeful optimism into real-life challenges facing the MS community. Now with secondary-progressive MS, Jennifer hopes to elevate the patient voice to better the lives of those living with the disease. Prior to writing her column, Jennifer freelanced for several online periodicals including WebMD. When not writing, Jennifer enjoys volunteering with animal rescue, traveling, and spending time at home in Orange County, California, with her husband and golden retriever.

April 29, 2021April 27, 2021

As an Unlikely Warrior, I Must Be Genuine About My SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am the unlikeliest of warriors. Being called one makes me a little uncomfortable. While I appreciate the sentiment, I feel unworthy of the title. A warrior chooses to battle ... Read more

April 22, 2021April 20, 2021

Coming Full Circle in My Relationship With My Mother

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

She held me in a fierce hug. It had been a year since I had held my mother so closely. I rested my chin on her shoulder and silently thanked ... Read more

April 15, 2021April 14, 2021

To Ease My Suffering, I Had to Shift My Perspective, Not My Pain Levels

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Many believe pain and suffering are interchangeable. While they can and often do coexist, one is not reliant on the other. Pain can occur with or without suffering, and the ... Read more

April 1, 2021March 30, 2021

To Define My Reality With MS, I Choose Optimism

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am an optimist in a pessimistic world. A fish out of water. I hold hope to ward off messages of defeat. In a world rife with suffering, hope is ... Read more

March 25, 2021March 23, 2021

Management Through Meditation: Balance Can Happen With MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Expectations equal resentment. It’s simple logic, yet profoundly true. Each time I set an expectation for myself or someone else, I set myself up for a potential letdown. Resentment happens ... Read more

March 18, 2021March 16, 2021

Excising the Complaints in My Life Helps Me Manage MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I failed the complaint challenge. The goal was to go 24 hours without complaining — no complaining about anything. Yet while the objective is commendable, a win is nearly impossible. ... Read more

March 4, 2021March 2, 2021

Learning to Ride Along With the Ebbs and Flows of Multiple Sclerosis

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am uncomfortable amid ambiguity and unknowns. I find myself searching for rationale when, at times, none exists. I crave clarity yet mostly exist amid the fogginess of MS. I ... Read more

February 18, 2021February 16, 2021

On Rare Disease Day, I’m Celebrating Being Extraordinarily Ordinary

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Rare – adjective Not occurring very often; uncommon Unusually good or remarkable On Feb. 28, the world will celebrate international Rare Disease Day. A rare disease is one that affects ... Read more

February 11, 2021February 9, 2021

My Fear of Failure Blocked Me From Both Risks and Rewards

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Bravado is lost in the blink of an eye. Self-doubt erodes certitude until we find that our default modus operandi is to refuse. Opportunities, happiness, possibilities, and growth seem to ... Read more

January 28, 2021January 26, 2021

To Thrive With SPMS, I’m Learning to Accept All of My Emotions

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Optimism is kryptonite to the fear and doubt I keep inside. I am grateful for my cheerful disposition because it allows me to maintain balance. But balance is not healing. ... Read more

January 21, 2021January 19, 2021

Comparing Ourselves With Others Doesn’t Improve Our Symptoms

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Almost every characteristic of multiple sclerosis differs for each of us who has the disease. While we share commonalities inherent to multiple sclerosis that make us similar to one another, ... Read more

January 7, 2021January 4, 2021

Positioning Myself to Embrace Change

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

There is something poetic about transitioning to a new year. It’s the melancholy of farewell fused with hopeful expectancy, the bittersweet juxtaposition of closing one door while opening another. Yet ... Read more

December 17, 2020December 14, 2020

What Do You See When You See Me?

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

If I were using a wheelchair, would you question why I use a handicapped placard? Perhaps some (or all) of the condemnation I now receive would diminish. Maybe the notes ... Read more

December 3, 2020December 1, 2020

Reflecting on a Year of Blessings in My Life With SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

The holiday season has always been a time of reflection. The year passes by in a montage of memories. I am reminded of the past 11 months. The highs and ... Read more

November 12, 2020November 10, 2020

Fighting Through Grief While Moving Forward

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Overachieving is my jam. Go big or go home. I strive to be the best at whatever it is I do. Currently, I am achieving greatness in my ability to ... Read more

October 29, 2020October 27, 2020

Seeking Permission to Escape

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I have been living in the land of Netflix. It went from a place I would visit from time to time to a home away from home. In between life’s ... Read more

October 22, 2020October 20, 2020

Learning to Navigate Cog Fog

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

The cog fog (cognitive fog) is thick and heavy. I cannot seem to extract words from the alphabet soup that fills my head. This is torturous for a self-described word ... Read more

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Reclaiming Our Sexual Health

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am often so preoccupied with the daily maintenance of MS that I forget where the disease ends and I begin. It is too easy to lose our identity among ... Read more

September 24, 2020September 22, 2020

Restarting Rituxan: One Down, and a Lifetime to Go

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Last week, I again started my twice-annual infusion of Rituxan (rituximab). After 384 days without my disease-modifying therapy, my team decided I could no longer wait. In its absence, my ... Read more

September 10, 2020September 8, 2020

The Contrast Between Positivity and the Realities of MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am tired of having multiple sclerosis. I am just so tired of this disease. And you know what? That is OK. Being tired of MS does not negate my ... Read more

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020

Sailing Beyond Fear With SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I grew up sailing the San Francisco Bay. My summers were spent in sailing school. My father’s daughter, I loved being on the water. There was no place more peaceful ... Read more

July 30, 2020July 28, 2020

A Dog’s Love in a World of MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am staring at my golden retriever, Abby, as she sleeps on the lawn, the afternoon sun dancing through her fur. Lying so still, she is encapsulated in a golden ... Read more

July 16, 2020July 14, 2020

Accepting a New Diagnosis

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I have long preached the merits of acceptance. In embracing my MS, I have mitigated much of the accompanying fear. This modus operandi has enabled me to live alongside my ... Read more

July 2, 2020June 29, 2020

How to Feed Your Soul and Find Positivity Amid MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Our thoughts influence our being. The stories we tell ourselves frame our reality. They affect the decisions we make, our behaviors, and ultimately our overall mindset. These serve to either ... Read more

June 18, 2020June 16, 2020

When You Become the Caregiver, You Must Push Past MS for Love

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I like my husband. I like his generous heart, his humility, and his penchant for Tommy Bahama shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops. Sure, I love him. Yet our love has changed ... Read more

June 11, 2020June 9, 2020

Laughter Is Good Medicine: Levity in an MS Life

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

If laughter is the best medicine, then I have a functional pharmacy. I love to laugh and enjoy humor. If you are a friend of mine, then you know my ... Read more

June 4, 2020June 2, 2020

Connecting Through MS on World MS Day 2020

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

May 30 was World MS Day 2020, an annual initiative for the MS community worldwide to unite. The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation created this global campaign to educate, raise awareness, and ... Read more

May 28, 2020May 26, 2020

Words to Live by: ‘I Am Fine’

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

“I am fine.” Three words I know as rote. I say them frequently and without hesitation. I utter them as much for others as I do for myself. My reality ... Read more

May 14, 2020May 12, 2020

Multiple Sclerosis and Melodies: Healing Through Music

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Music is a spiritual experience. I love music in all of its forms. I grew up being serenaded by parents harmonizing everything from the Phi Gam fight song to Peter, ... Read more

May 7, 2020May 5, 2020

Finding Myself in Multiple Sclerosis: Loving the B-side

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Read more

April 23, 2020April 28, 2020

To Thine Own Self Be Kind: Spreading the Message of Self-care

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I give freely of my heart and wear it proudly on my sleeve. Those who know me would say it waves. I care deeply for my family, friends, and colleagues. ... Read more

April 16, 2020April 28, 2020

Manifesting Change with SPMS

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

The state of our world lies heavy on my shoulders. I worry about and miss my family. Our geographical distance, although unchanged, seems to have grown exponentially. Is everyone so ... Read more

April 9, 2020April 28, 2020

Zeposia Is Now Approved, But Expect Delays

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell, Zeposia

Zeposia’s recent approval in the U.S. is exciting news for all in the MS community. Unfortunately, we will need to table that excitement a bit longer. Despite its approval, the ... Read more

April 2, 2020May 12, 2020

I’m Choosing to Let My Spirit Shine During the COVID-19 Crisis

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

We are living in unprecedented times. Years from now, references will be made to COVID-19. Numbers of those afflicted and those we lost will live on in print. Future generations ... Read more

March 26, 2020April 28, 2020

A Life Unscripted: Choosing Positivity During a Pandemic

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Life is unscripted. It is messy and uncertain, with change being the only constant. Much like living with multiple sclerosis, adapting to change is directly correlated to our ability to ... Read more

March 19, 2020December 15, 2020

An Outlier with MS, Coronavirus Nears as I Self-isolate

Columns, Covid-19, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

“It’s the end of the world as we know it.” — R.E.M. Welcome to the world of COVID-19. Coronaviruses aren’t new: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory ... Read more

February 27, 2020February 25, 2020

I Am Beautifully Rare Despite SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and I am rare. In honor of Rare Disease Day on Feb. 29, I honor myself. I honor you and anyone else with a ... Read more

February 20, 2020February 18, 2020

Finding My Way Through Sickness and Sadness with SPMS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am hyperaware of the fragility of life. More specifically, the fragility of mine. Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. My immune system eats away at the myelin ... Read more

February 6, 2020February 5, 2020

Could Myeliviz, a New Imaging Agent of Myelin, Be a Game-changer?

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

Myelin is the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers and is damaged in those with multiple sclerosis. Quantifying the degenerative process of myelin would lend perspective to how much and ... Read more

January 23, 2020January 21, 2020

The Rise of Superbugs, Antibiotic Resistance, and MS

Columns, Silver Linings - a Column by Jennifer Powell

I am living with an unenviable reality. An antibiotic-resistant, hospital-acquired infection that I developed two decades ago has reappeared. Before my multiple sclerosis diagnosis, I had a spinal cord stimulator ... Read more