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Recently I noticed that expressing gratitude results in a change in my body. It’s hard to put into words, but I feel warm and peaceful. Something is different — better. I decided to investigate this phenomenon. I wanted to know if the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) are…

Close your eyes and imagine that you’re in a diving suit, swimming in a warm and comfortable lagoon. You find yourself drawn into the depths of the beautiful teal water by a siren. At first you don’t realize how far you are from the surface; you’re too enamored by the…

Author Jane Austen once wrote, “Those who do not complain are never pitied.” I was a mediocre English major in college. I won’t tell you I adored “Pride and Prejudice,” but I’ve always remembered that gut-wrenching line. To pity someone is to feel sorrow, compassion, and sadness due to their…

Even though my symptoms started early, I couldn’t make a strategic plan for higher education because I wasn’t diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) until my second year of college. I’d chosen my dream career: physics. You might think of Stephen Hawking as the perfect example of a disabled person…

Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat when you travel? Before I got sick during my deployment to Iraq (2009-2010), I used to love to travel. I never had to give much thought to flying. I always went with the cheapest ticket or the best deal.

My twin brother, Aaron, has always been a fitness nut. When we were teenagers, he routinely invited his girlfriend at the time to come over and exercise with him. Exercise videos on VHS tapes were all the rage back then, so they’d perform intense aerobics in front of the TV…

Ahead of every family reunion, plan, and event, I fear saying the famous “I’m tired, I can’t” — not because of how it might affect me, but because of how others might react. Normally, I’d be “selfish” and preserve my energy, but in these moments, I feel like I’m in…

When I attended a college staffed by Augustinians, five theology courses were required for an undergraduate diploma. Those classes helped me develop a mature understanding of religion and spirituality. Back then, I couldn’t know that one day I’d find a valuable lesson in the work of the four Evangelists, other…

Inside every person we know is another part of them we don’t know anything about. As adults, we often hide our pain, either out of pride or to spare others from worrying. My twin brother, Aaron, was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) in 1999. But I didn’t realize until…

It’s been five years since I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune neuromuscular disease. MG makes me feel tired and short of breath, and sometimes I struggle to speak clearly. It feels like yesterday when I was diagnosed, and I believe I still need to know more…