March 18, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Excising the Complaints in My Life Helps Me Manage MS 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. I’m not much of a complainer, and I still…
March 4, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Learning to Ride Along With the Ebbs and Flows of Multiple Sclerosis 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 live this way literally and figuratively. My lack of…
February 18, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell On Rare Disease Day, I’m Celebrating Being Extraordinarily Ordinary 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 fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Almost…
February 11, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell My Fear of Failure Blocked Me From Both Risks and Rewards 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 pass. This no-risk mentality brings no reward. Chronic illness…
January 28, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell To Thrive With SPMS, I’m Learning to Accept All of My Emotions 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. Left alone, those feelings that I fear…
January 21, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Comparing Ourselves With Others Doesn’t Improve Our Symptoms 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, much about the way our disease manifests is unique.
January 7, 2021 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Positioning Myself to Embrace Change 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 for a moment, I am noncommittal. With one…
December 17, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell What Do You See When You See Me? 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 left on my windshield would not be written. Perchance,…
December 3, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Reflecting on a Year of Blessings in My Life With SPMS 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 the lows. My hopes and my aspirations. Those…
November 12, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Fighting Through Grief While Moving Forward 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 fall. Three falls in three weeks is a new…
October 29, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Seeking Permission to Escape 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 moments, I find myself teleported to the land of…
October 22, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Learning to Navigate Cog Fog 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 nerd. And as my MS progresses, so…
October 1, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Reclaiming Our Sexual Health 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 the myriad challenges that accompany a chronic disease. I…
September 24, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Restarting Rituxan: One Down, and a Lifetime to Go 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 symptomology had worsened. Halting progression trumped a…
September 10, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell The Contrast Between Positivity and the Realities of MS 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 gratitude. It does not replace my joy and zest…
August 20, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Sailing Beyond Fear With SPMS 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 or exhilarating. That serenity turned to turbulence one…
July 30, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell A Dog’s Love in a World of MS 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 glow. I glance at her chest and am…
July 16, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Accepting a New Diagnosis 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 disease as opposed to clashing with it. While…
July 2, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell How to Feed Your Soul and Find Positivity Amid MS 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 nourish or starve our psyche. If we are what…
June 18, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell When You Become the Caregiver, You Must Push Past MS for Love 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 throughout our 23-year marriage. We have traded passion…
November 30, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Is multiple sclerosis everywhere, or am I just more aware of it now?