It’s normal for us to wonder if our own experiences are similar to others who find themselves in a similar situation. We expect to look around us and see people acting in certain patterns of behavior. We want to believe we all respond in a similar fashion to life’s hurdles. Of course, this isn’t true. And, in regards to Multiple Sclerosis, there are many responses to the disease.
What I find inspiring are the stories of people with Multiple Sclerosis who just won’t quit.
If you find yourself wondering about the stories of other people with MS, you’ll be interested in this YouTube video titled, “Living with Multiple Sclerosis”, about Dan Powell, an art professor at University of Oregon who is living with MS.
The thing I like about this video is that it is realistic and I can relate to it. He is not saying how MS isn’t defeating him and he can still climb Mt. Everest. He is admiting that things have changed and declined, and he is just dealing with it.
Thank you for sharing this.
You’re right about the video’s messsage, Joan. I am happy when I hear stories of MS patients who seem unaffected by their disease.
However, I know the majority of MS patients I’ve met have been significantly impacted by the disease process. And like you, the stories that seem most important to me aren’t the “Mt. Everest” tales.
Rather, they are the stories of MS patients who get knocked down and then get up again, over and over and over again. They’re the stories of people with MS, like my wife, who have bad days yet maintain a pleasant attitude about life, who suffer themselves but still reach out to others and who refuse (every time) to stay down.
MS is unpredictable. But for most patients, things do change. Decline does happen. Stories of people who “just deal with it” are inspiring.
Thanks for your comment, Joan.
myself patient of multiple sclerosis needs motivation to combat growing disabilties