Me, My Brother, and MG - a Column by Allen Francis

Identity is how we define ourselves, and it can be established through nature or nurture, voluntarily or not. Part of our identity may even be shaped by the person we imagine ourselves to be or hope to become. A vocation, career, or profession can also be a mark of identity.

Author Tom Clancy once wrote, “Surviving is much more painful than death.” Realizing how much my twin brother, Aaron, has been surviving with myasthenia gravis (MG) since his diagnosis in 1999 when he was 24 is painful for me. He lives in New York…

Sometimes we say so much about unimportant things that we leave the important things unsaid. Or, we talk about important things using codes or euphemisms. After all, some studies suggest that more than 90% of human communication is nonverbal. What is unsaid or implied sometimes carries more weight than…

One thing that always amazes me about my twin brother, Aaron, is his drive to stay as positive and active as possible. Aaron was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) in 1999 at the age of 24. It was a heartbreaking diagnosis. Aaron was a young and very active…

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” That quote from an unknown author is one of my favorites. Contentment is a mindset we usually acquire after maturity or contemplative loss. After my divorce when I was in my 30s,…

Oprah Winfrey once said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Others have found their own ways to express this idea. The way we deal with adversity reveals our character. It can betray flaws, but it can also demonstrate strength in overcoming problems. After getting divorced in my…

“Silence is a true friend who never betrays,” Confucius once said. There is so much modern science doesn’t know about myasthenia gravis (MG). It must be taxing and frustrating for people with MG to explain the disease and its symptoms to family, friends, and others who may have…

American writer William Arthur Ward is believed to have said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.” I’m not grateful enough for my relatively good health. I’m overweight, don’t exercise enough, and use the stress of my freelancer life…

A quote attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, says, “You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.” In other words, no matter how much we feed it, anger never has a full belly. The more we feed it, the more we…

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…