How I Approach Life with My Transsternal Thymectomy Scar
If I wear a high-cut top or a scarf, you won’t see the 15-cm (almost 6-inch) line plunging from my neck to my cleavage. The scar is a big giveaway that I am not…
A Good Life with Bad Muscles — Retha De Wet
Retha is a columnist from sunny South Africa. When she’s not writing, she is practicing as a speech therapist. Diagnosed with myasthenia gravis just around her 20th birthday, she has been through several treatment options since then and has been classified as refractory. She hopes her column will encourage readers to look for the good in life and always keep fighting. She loves her dog an irrational amount and is always willing to share pictures of him.
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I Shouldn’t Be Shamed for Using Disabled Parking
Myasthenics adjusting to reduced physical abilities must make lifestyle adaptations. To ensure the continuation of my tertiary studies, I’ve acquired disabled parking on campus. Applying for the placard dented my pride. I struggled for…
The Reasons Behind Falling Ill
Wondering about the reasons behind life-changing moments is only natural. It is normal to guess what your part in your eventual fate was, but sometimes things cannot be understood so simply. And that is…
Looking After the Mind and the Body
Nothing has ever made me feel more alone in this world than lying awake in my hospital bed at night. Myasthenia gravis patients are not allowed sleeping tablets because they could be fatal. So,…
A Letter to the Newly Diagnosed Myasthenic
No one will ever fully understand what you go through, but I am pretty sure you have figured that out already. People are going to surprise you in the best and worst of ways, but…
3 Ways that Living with Myasthenia Gravis Has Made Me a Better Person
Myasthenia gravis has managed to take away quite a few important aspects of my life. These are the things I continuously reminded myself of in moments of self-pity. However, today I possess a few…
How My Port Empowered Me
Medical science is ever evolving. There are more diseases being discovered, advances in medical technology, and changes in perceptions of medications and their effects on the human body. Humanity has definitely come a long…
The Joy of Being Alive
I was never gifted with numbers, but I always felt confident when it came to languages. When my emotions are too overwhelming to comprehend, I look for answers in written work, or I simply start…
The Gift of Literacy as a Patient with Myasthenia Gravis
Living in a developing country influences my view of the world. I come into contact with the poorest of the poor, yet I can attend world-class private hospitals because I am fortunate to be…
How Growing Up with Disability in the Family Helped Me Accept My Diagnosis
Life is filled with a special package of ups and downs individually tailored for each of us. We are then presented with the opportunity to overcome these obstacles or let them take over every…
The Value of the Good Doctor
The first thing I was forced to learn very quickly after falling ill is that doctors are only human. It does not matter if they are specialists, general practitioners, or retired; human nature is…
How a Puppy Helps Me to Live a Better Life with Myasthenia Gravis
I am approaching my 25th birthday, and due to my poor health, I have had to extend my studies a few times. This has contributed to both the academic success I have maintained and…
