I try to be honest about my shortcomings, but I have always struggled with asking for help. If you frequent my column, you may have realized that I’ve been missing in action. I was struggling and pushing my body to the extreme, when all I needed to do was stop…
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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Around three years ago, I welcomed home an Italian greyhound puppy named Pablo. He changed my life for the better. Now, my boyfriend, Tom, and I have adopted another 1-year-old Italian greyhound. Blitz with a goofy grin. (Photo by Retha de Wet) His name is Blitz, which means…
Life with chronic illness is a constant game of comparison. I either compare myself with my healthy peers, or with other medically complex young people. Recently, I’ve found someone new to compare myself with: the healthy version of me that lives in a parallel universe. I’m currently responding well to…
Pain is a big part of my life. I have been in daily pain for the last 10 years. The only medical reason I have for it is myasthenia gravis (MG). I highly value science. When I was diagnosed in 2013, there was still little evidence online that pain was…
I started working as a speech therapist at a large academic hospital in January 2020. I was excited to start, and my passion for the job was coming out of my ears. But lurking behind the joy of getting such a thrilling job was a buildup of anxiety, shame, guilt,…
Shortly after I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), the neurologist suggested I have a contrast CT scan of my chest. This would determine whether or not a thymectomy was necessary. My only memory of the CT scan was that the contrast made me feel like I’d peed my…
I tend to laugh a lot, which can serve many different functions. A nervous giggle can indicate anxiety, a belly laugh may follow a moment of hilarity, and sometimes laughing is the only way to deal with an overwhelming or uncomfortable situation. My name, Retha, is derived from Margaretha, which…
My boyfriend, Tom, and I are finally moving back in together after 15 months of being in a long-distance relationship. While that in itself is amazing, it involves one terrible part: the physical act of moving. Although moving is a myasthenic’s nightmare, packing up my whole life again has…
Time has been my greatest teacher. She has taught me patience, resilience, and true commitment. She has taught me so many things I would love to share with my younger self. If my myasthenia gravis diagnosis has taught me anything, it’s to appreciate movement. Go for every run I can.
During a consultation with my psychiatrist, she told me I have a Type A personality. “Me?!” I thought. That can’t be right. However, I have tremendous respect for her as a medical specialist, so I took her word for it. The more I read about Type A personalities,…
I often write about the beauty of life by sharing lessons I’ve learned from living with myasthenia gravis (MG). I tend to be optimistic in my approach to the hand life dealt me. However, one other thing MG has taught me is that being strong by yourself isn’t…
It’s difficult to explain to a 20-something in perfect health why raising rare disease awareness is important. However, I had just turned 20 when my entire life was turned upside down by a myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis. Illness does not discriminate — anyone can be affected by it at…
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