My dad with MS teaches me to live wholeheartedly

Sterling Hofmeister is pictured here at 6 months, carried in a backpack by his father Ben Hofmeister. (Photos courtesy of Ben Hofmeister)

Day 15 of 31

This is Sterling Hofmeister’s story:

Sterling Hofmeister, far right, is pictured with his brothers and father in 2018.

My name is Sterling Hofmeister. I am 12 years old and I live with my parents and two younger brothers. When I was 1 1/2 years old, my father Benjamin Hofmeister was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Even though he could walk then and was still in the Army, it was an enormous blow for him.

I didn’t know this at the time, but it has greatly affected our family’s lives. This doesn’t bother me, though, for he is a great dad and doesn’t let his disabilities change him. For instance, we just finished reading “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” books.

With a little help from my mom, my dad can go anywhere. He is a brave man with lots of internal conflict. He always tells funny stories about things like breaking his nose on three separate occasions or how he and his friend cut the fuse a little short on an explosive in Afghanistan. He likes to be in charge and is a little stubborn sometimes, and he can get a little hotheaded, but these things just make my dad my dad.

He’s also very smart and was in the gifted program at school, just like me. He has driven me to surpass him in intellect.

Sterling, 12, preps food in the kitchen while his father Ben Hofmeister watches.

To be honest, sometimes I worry  MS is genetic and I may get it. Watching my dad overcome his disease every day helps me know that, if I do get it, I’ll be all right, because I’m like him: I’m strong. Not the physical type of strong, but the mental type of strong. The kind of strength that involves not giving up.

At first, I thought my dad’s MS didn’t really affect me. But then I realized that because of his disabilities, he couldn’t teach me to do many things, like swim. He also can’t help me in the kitchen when I cook. All he can do is observe. But this has not stopped my dad from being kind and considerate to me when I need him. He’s taught me to live wholeheartedly.

I love my dad, even with his MS. I couldn’t have a better dad, or one who can help me thrive in the unique way that he can.

Note: Sterling Hofmeister’s father Ben Hofmeister is a columnist for Multiple Sclerosis News Today. His column “Chairborne“ appears each Thursday.

In recognition of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March, the MS Community Spotlight campaign features a series of stories highlighting the real-life experiences of people affected by MS, written in their own words. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Pinterest for more stories like this, using the hashtag #MSSpotlight, or read the full series.