I wanted a sip of coffee this morning so I reached for the cup because, well, that’s what you do. And then I paused, because now, that’s what I do.
What am I thinking? Hot coffee. Weak arms. This probably has trouble written all over it. From the potential spillage, anger, tears, and more work for my caregiver, I instead chose to ask for help.
A good choice and decision, Jennifer.
I’m not saying I won’t go for the coffee cup again, but just not this morning. Not right now. Ah, such is life with Multiple Sclerosis.
The nearly 1 million Americans living with this disease must pick our battles every single day. For me, a cup of coffee wasn’t worth the fight today.
All of us aren’t giving up or bowing out to the disease. We either are accepting it or learning to live with it. Because MS is not going anywhere. We acknowledge the disease and its power.
In fact, March is MS Awareness Month and many of us are recognizing and increasing awareness of the disease in our own ways. Whether it’s showing the world our orange clothing, banners or ribbons (orange is the color of MS, after all), sharing our stories on social media or with the local newspaper or writing letters to our state and federal lawmakers, this is the month that we let the world know about the realities of this chronic disease of the central nervous system.
I’ve kind of let you in on what MS has done to me. You know, with my aforementioned coffee conundrum from earlier this morning. Yes, I have Secondary Progressive MS (Dan’s is Relapsing-Remitting), but it hasn’t stopped us from moving forward and sharing our experiences.
To help shed more light on this disease and the ways we all keep ourselves ahead of MS, I’m excited to share a couple essays for you to check out here:
A new outlook on MS and “You look so good!”
This is Dan’s most recent essay that he wrote as Exclusive Content for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation’s MS Focus Magazine. In it he offers a fresh approach to the phrase that many people with MS hate to hear.
He writes, “I eventually realized that when people say things such as, ‘You look so good,’ it serves me better to take these as words of encouragement to help me through the unseen challenges I’m facing. Depending on the day, it isn’t always easy to find hope in such phrases, so here are three points I use to keep these words in perspective.”
See what Dan’s points are in this essay that goes beyond MS and also is helpful for other people living with invisible illnesses.
What Advice Can Twelve MS Advocates Offer Patients About Living with the Disease? (Spoiler: Plenty)
You likely have read in a previous post on our blog the awesomeness that is Cathy Chester. So how honored were Dan and I when Cathy approached us about offering the best advice we have to help others living with MS for a post on her blog, An Empowered Spirit. To make the experience even more humbling for us was to see our words posted among the advice from so many other advocates who inspire us and help us move forward.
Cathy writes, “These advocates make it their mission to empower the community so that no one ever feels frightened or alone. Their responses answer a single question that’s important for the newly diagnosed and anyone struggling with the disease. You’ll find powerful information in each response that you can rely on for years to come.”
See Cathy’s MS Awareness Month-inspired post to see what we and many other MS patient leaders (and you will recognize several of them) have to say.
Enjoy these essays, and get your orange on to help increase MS awareness throughout the rest of this month and year as well!