independence

Here in the U.S., today is the last day that someone out there will have all 10 fingers. It’s probably wishful thinking to suggest that it’ll be only one person, but I’m trying to be optimistic. In anticipation of the holiday tomorrow, fireworks sales started picking up about a month…

I’m losing control. I don’t mean that I’m out of control or spiraling in that direction, but I definitely feel like I have a lot less of it these days. That’s a real problem for me because my therapist said that one of the primary issues contributing to my depression…

I stopped driving nearly five years ago. That was probably six months or more after I should have. By that point, I was doing it mainly by using my truck’s cruise control and occasionally having to use my gradually weakening arms to lift my right foot off the accelerator and…

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to relearn how to walk. Learning to walk is a milestone accomplishment. But as you age, life finds ways to knock you down. Injuries, sprains, or broken bones may keep you immobile while you’re waiting for your body to recover.

At the age of 40, I’ve never passed my driving test. I know that’s shocking. Here in the United Kingdom, we must pass two sections to be licensed to drive: a theory test and the practical test. I’ve passed the theory part three times but was never able to pass…

About a month ago, I embarked on what might have been my last-ever solo outing. You can file it away with my other lasts: sitting down and getting off the sofa on my own, walking without mobility aids, doing a controlled Frankenstein’s monster stumble into my bedroom, putting myself to…

I must look like I need help all the time. I don’t own a shirt or any other article of clothing that says so, and I don’t think I have a helpless look on my face, either. I smile often, sometimes genuinely and sometimes with my mouth formed in…

The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platform BeCare Link has introduced a mobile application to help multiple sclerosis (MS) patients be more active in their care and ensure clinicians have the data to treat them. BeCare MS Link, the platform’s first subspecialty product, is touted as the most comprehensive…

Owen Mumford‘s Aidaptus auto-injector, which lets a wide range of under-the-skin medications to be administered, has won a Red Dot Award in the Product Design 2023 category. Launched in 2021, Aidaptus is a disposable auto-injector whose design fits multiple-sized prefilled glass syringes without changing parts. This could provide…

Have you ever heard of an ABLE savings account? I hadn’t until a couple weeks ago. The acronym stands for the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2014. It created special savings accounts that allow disabled Americans, including people with…

“I thought it would never happen to me.” I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard someone utter that phrase during my four decades in the news media. Last week, it happened to me. About three years ago, my wife and I bought a condo as a…

mSteps, a new phone app, could be used to precisely measure the outdoor walking distance of people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study shows. The study, “The mSteps pilot study: Analysis of the distance walked using a novel smartphone application in multiple sclerosis,” was published in…

My eldest son just started high school, which makes me feel both incredibly old and somewhat proud of myself for surviving this long. People have been telling me the teenage years are the hardest, but I have a leg up since I used to be a high school teacher. The…

For the few of you lot lucky enough not to know about intermittent catheterization, it’s shoving a thin bit of plastic up the old (in my case) urethra so that you can pee. I am well aware of how bad plastic is for the planet, but in my open-and-shut…

There I was, swinging away in my hoist at 9 p.m., though my swinging London of the 2020s wasn’t only 60 years later, it was also a lot, lot grimmer. My carer and maybe still wife, Jane, stood below in a controlled fury. If nothing else, she might…

I was tryin’ to find lots of things to do while being trapped at my desk because of a wheelchair mishap. Apologies for my adaption of Bing Crosby’s rendition of that happy-go-lucky song “Busy Doing Nothing.” I was trapped because at 8 p.m. last Friday night, the wire that…

I watch my multiple sclerosis progress. I see it progress in moments of defeat. I think of it when I fall. I curse it when I break or can’t open things. I grieve over it when my body fails me. I watch as my independence slips away like…

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) reaffirmed its support for the work of the National Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) in aiding people with paralysis — either due to multiple sclerosis (MS), accidents, or other disorders — with a five-year grant. Under a collaborative agreement, the PRC — operated…

“Do you need help?” The question came from a 30-something woman after I’d finished loading some cartons into the back of my SUV. I automatically replied, “No thanks, all done.” But lifting and loading isn’t an easy job for me. My upper body strength is good, but my legs are…

In an effort to make sure those with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D) are included in disability legislation, the United Spinal Association and some 200 advocates recently gathered virtually for this year’s “Roll on Capitol Hill.” The annual event, in which advocates met with lawmakers, gives organization members…

The degree to which people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are conscientious — a personality trait that reflects responsibility, organization, and goal-oriented skills — in their work habits can help to predict their employment status in three years, according to a survey of 70 MS patients. A study based on…

Novartis has awarded a total of $300,000 to two tech companies, honoring each for work done to improve the mobility and independence of people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The top winner of the Novartis Innovation Prize: Assistive Tech for…

Ah, it’s not the blank page that all writers fear that I’m worried about. Those days have long left me. Now it’s applying the discipline to stop! When I first started with a professional writing commission, I sat in the office all day with that fear freezing me. (Those were…

I’m grateful that I’ve worked from home for a long time. I imagine that, for many people, working from home for the first time is a difficult adjustment. How do you stay focused on work without going stir crazy? …

To those who judge me for using my disabled parking permit when I seemingly look “healthy and well,” please consider your words. There are people out there who “call out” others who they think are “abusing the system” and taking up an accessible space when it looks like they don’t…

What worries you most about living with multiple sclerosis? I’m catching up with a small survey by Can Do MS, an organization that promotes health and wellness education programs. The survey results, released in September, show that disease progression, financial concerns, and loss of independence are at the top…

By 2017, over 50,000 people with disabilities in the U.K. had lost their accessible vehicles due to reassessments required by Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a financial assistance program for people with disabilities. Motability Scheme is a program that provides financial assistance to help people lease an accessible…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “How Occupational Therapy Is Improving My MS Home Life” from April 15, 2018.

The glow of the fireworks bathes the surrounding trees. A kaleidoscope of blue, yellow, and red illuminates the night sky. It is a day of picnics, parades, and pyrotechnics. It is the Fourth of July, when Americans celebrate gaining their independence from Great Britain. I can relate to celebrating…

It’s taken over a year to conceive, organize, and plan, but yesterday, I was able to leave the house on my own. I even checked that I had my house keys on me as, in theory, I could now also get in on my own. This is not strictly true:…