Finish This Story

For the last 30 years, this dis-ease changed my life. I've somehow managed not to be angry at my situation. Several years ago, I came across a quote by Epictetus, often referred to as the Stoic Greek Philosopher, that had a profound influence on my philosophy of life, "Learn to wish that everything should come to pass exactly as it does." It made no sense to me to stress about circumstances when you can’t change them. More often than not, changing my mind is a more effective strategy. Why not learn to want what I have rather than trying to have what I want?

My mom's resourcefulness inspired me

I was fortunate to have a living example of approaching this disease with optimism. My mother, who also lived with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis for 30 years of her life, was the most optimistic person I've ever known. She lived her life with true grace. Her optimistic outlook made dealing with embarrassing situations like first experiencing loss of bladder control while grocery shopping at Whole Foods, a situation I needed to get through with minimal embarrassment. Or finding a location to relieve my bowel pressure when required on my 30-minute commute home from work, where there were no easily accessible restrooms. These situations truly sparked my creativity. Thank you, Mom.

The important thing is that I finished

When I decided to challenge myself with this project of writing 'My Story,' I wasn't sure if one month would be enough time to recall a story of when I truly recognized my abilities to get over hurdles. The condition of my hands makes it very difficult to type, so I have to dictate anything I hope to write. Not so easy to do when your fine motor control is challenged as much as mine. But I finished it with 9 hours to spare! Fortunately, a friend introduce me to a term called "Crip Time".