Debi is a retired admissions and marketing director residing in Oregon. She is a mother of three grown children and has three grandchildren. She was diagnosed with PPMS in 2010. With her column, “Faith of the Mustard Seed,” she hopes to help and inspire others who are also dealing with MS.
When I was younger, I assumed that I wouldn’t require a mobility device until much later in my life. I wasn’t prepared for needing to use a cane or a walker in my 50s. My 2010 multiple…
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So many of us are affected by disabilities, and day-to-day we strive to live our lives the best we can. The struggles due to these disabilities can consume a lot of our precious and sparse energy. Anything that can…
After taking a tumble this week, I am reminded of the power of resilience. Dictionary.com defines resilience as: “1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
At the end of each passing year, I like to give a theme name to the fresh new year. So last year when my sister Kathy asked me what I would dub 2018, I thought for a few…
Since the onset of my MS, I have been acutely aware that stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on my body. Being anxious is not a comfortable feeling, whether you have a chronic illness or not. This…
One year ago, I wrote “Grief, Self-preservation and Multiple Sclerosis.
The road to living a grateful life is not always a smooth and paved one. There are curves and roadblocks that can send any thoughts…
Life is full of curveballs, with a mix of sliders, split-fingered fastballs, and sinkers thrown in. And, it is the curveballs that can be the hardest to take. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the major “curveballs”…
Sometimes walking, even with an assistance device, can be very challenging because of the extreme muscle weakness that I experience. The slow, off-balanced gait that has been my constant companion for many years prior to my 2010…
Irritability can strike anyone at anytime, and pain, illness, depression — or just having a bad day — can all lead to feelings of anxiety and irritability. To those of us with multiple sclerosis (MS), being irritable can…
As patients, we deserve the best care for our MS and we should accept nothing less. I have had many years of difficulty trying to find adequate MS care since my diagnosis in 2010. I have gone from neurologist to…
I had always envisioned that I would be an active and healthy grandparent when the time came — not one with a disability. I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in the summer of 2010,…
Sometimes the nerve pain caused by MS reminds me of a pinball machine. With the slap of the paddles the ball surges, bouncing sporadically, bells ringing, lights flashing; then the ball quietly comes to a stop and all…
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