MS, REO and grown-up choices

Perhaps I am showing my age, but I am a big fan of the 80s rock band REO Speedwagon. My college years memories are filled with my good friend Amy and me being on the grassy hill at DTE Energy Music Theatre singing, dancing and Riding the Storm Out. Such fun!

I’ve always told Dan stories of my glory days and awesome concert experiences, so when REO announced a stop at nearby Soaring Eagle Casino for its current tour, he and I quickly looked at each other and exclaimed, “Yes, please!”

Dan and I purchased tickets the old-school way: we actually went to the concert venue the morning they were made available, excitedly waited in line, chatted with other concert goers and then hung our prized paper tickets on our bulletin board. Hooray!

This concert was months away from our ticket purchase day, but it gave us an LFT – something to look forward to. After all, it was summer when we bought our tickets, and the concert wasn’t happening until the fall. That meant it would be inside so we need not worry about Michigan’s unpredictable weather. Plus, now there is a Covid vaccine, so we’re all good, right? 

For the next 90 days or so, we waited. Full of excitement and hope. This concert was going to be epic: REO in our hometown, no crazy long drive to another city and on a Saturday evening, to boot. The stars seemed to have aligned.  

Unfortunately, the week of the concert our Multiple Sclerosis, disease-modifying therapies, and fears of that darn Covid aligned as well. Ugh.

Much like the rest of America and the world, Dan and I are tired of Covid. We are tired of the confusion, the questions with no certain answers, the doubts and continued fears. For goodness sake, we just wanted to see a concert. 

Isn’t it ironic how we’ve been living with an unpredictable chronic illness for nearly half of our lives, but Covid is causing such strife? Our MS influences so many aspects of our lives, from diet and doctors, to social activity or an absence of activity. Multiple Sclerosis seems to almost always has the upper hand, but now Covid is calling the shots? No way!  

Sometimes, despite your best laid plans, life will get in the way and you need to make difficult decisions for your own good. Um…that’s the thing about being an adult.

When we purchased our tickets some three months ago, the risks weren’t there. Dan wasn’t treating his MS with Ocrevus, and I hadn’t scheduled my Rituxan infusion on the Monday before the concert. And remember that 90 days ago people were getting their Covid vaccines and the pandemic seemed like it was starting to get pretty under control.

But the world soon learned that Covid – much like MS – is unrelenting. People we know, who are living right here in our small community, were getting diagnosed with Covid. Plus those people with Covid weren’t monkeying with their immune system with DMTs like Dan and me.

Oh no, but REO? Going to the concert would be fun, of course, but will it be worth the risks?

What would I do if Dan got sick? He is my everything. And likewise, what would he do if I get sick? A common cold seriously upsets our world. Just imagine the destructive potential of Covid for the two of us living with MS. What were we to do? 

Being responsible grown-ups, we choose to skip the show. Yep, we stayed home the evening of October 16.

Yes, I pouted a little, but despite my initial pouting and disappointment, I realized that our Multiple Sclerosis wasn’t the reason we missed the show. After all of the years we each have lived with MS, we don’t like to let it hold us back. We try to be stronger than the disease. Dan and I want to stay healthy, make smart choices and have no regrets.

Going to this concert wasn’t worth the risks. We stayed home because managing our life and MS is tricky enough, we didn’t want to introduce Covid to the mix. Besides, we will see other concerts and have faith that we will have the opportunity once Covid is under control.

Until then, Dan and I will do everything we can to stay healthy, and we will keep on rollin’. 😉