June 11, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Laughter Is Good Medicine: Levity in an MS Life 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 dry wit. I use that wit to shield…
June 4, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Connecting Through MS on World MS Day 2020 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 offer hope. Its free, online resources provide…
May 28, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Words to Live by: ‘I Am Fine’ “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 is too much for most. At times it is…
May 14, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Multiple Sclerosis and Melodies: Healing Through Music 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, Paul and Mary. After crucifying the clarinet, I played…
May 7, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Finding Myself in Multiple Sclerosis: Loving the B-side I lie on my stomach in a Downward Dog fail. I am doing yoga, or something like it. I open my eyes. I spy a golden retriever tumbleweed float across the travertine floor. I feel my body flinch. It…
April 23, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell To Thine Own Self Be Kind: Spreading the Message of Self-care 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. I derive immense joy in my volunteer work with…
April 16, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Manifesting Change with SPMS 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 far, or am I so very confined? I…
April 9, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Zeposia Is Now Approved, But Expect Delays 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 treatment’s commercial distribution will be delayed by the…
April 2, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell I’m Choosing to Let My Spirit Shine During the COVID-19 Crisis 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 will learn how phrases such as “social distancing”…
March 26, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell A Life Unscripted: Choosing Positivity During a Pandemic 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 thrive. We are reminded of this as we adjust…
March 19, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell An Outlier with MS, Coronavirus Nears as I Self-isolate “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 syndrome (MERS) are both coronaviruses. But this…
February 27, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell I Am Beautifully Rare Despite SPMS 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 rare disease. I have been asked if…
February 20, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Finding My Way Through Sickness and Sadness with SPMS 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 sheath surrounding my nerves. My disease-modifying therapy…
February 6, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Could Myeliviz, a New Imaging Agent of Myelin, Be a Game-changer? 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 where a patient is progressing. Currently, MRIs are…
January 23, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell The Rise of Superbugs, Antibiotic Resistance, and MS 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 implanted for pain control. Although the stimulator was…
January 16, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Traveling Without the Baggage of Fear Traveling with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis is challenging. International travel adds some extra lengthy steps. That said, I have the bug. I’ve always had a hunger to see and experience new people and places. From a young age,…
January 9, 2020 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Allowing Grief: The Importance of Letting Go I sat stunned as tears welled. I gazed toward the pain in my knee. My pants were torn. Blood pooled, then dripped down my calf. I was transfixed. The contents of my purse were strewn beneath a car. I…
December 19, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell The 10 Years Since My Diagnosis Has Brought Many Blessings Life is never how you expect or predict it to be. Things happen today that we couldn’t have anticipated. We have no easy or predefined path to fulfillment, joy, or nirvana. Forget about your navigation as your direction can…
December 12, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Holding onto Joy and Sadness This Holiday Season As a little girl, I loved Christmas. My parents went to great lengths to make the experience magical. Santa was as real as the stockings that hung from our mantle. On Christmas morning, the filled stockings lay right next…
December 5, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell Thankful Awakening: Accepting Change with SPMS My happiness quotient correlates with my ability to give. I find tremendous satisfaction in doing this. This is one reason that I cherish Thanksgiving. I derive immense pleasure in creating this symbolic meal for those I love. For…
November 30, 2023 Columns by Benjamin Hofmeister Is multiple sclerosis everywhere, or am I just more aware of it now?