Columns

Incessant worrying doesn’t eliminate uncertainty about the future, only the peace of the present. I’m a worrier. I’m not proud of that, but it’s an ingrained personality trait. My twin brother, Aaron, who has myasthenia gravis (MG), is having strabismus surgery soon to correct his crossed eyes. I…

Have you ever experienced a period of your life when the universe seemed to be sending signals that were subtle at first, but then — bam! — they were in your face and hard to ignore? That’s been my reality for several months now. Last week, I wrote about indulging…

Most people try to live life as best they can in a chaotic world, but they never have the power to do what they really want to do. As the nondisabled brother of a twin with myasthenia gravis (MG), I feel I need to take my responsibilities as an advocate…

For the first time in a while, I decided to do something that was low maintenance but would help me feel like the “old Shawna.” My thought process was good: I’d practice self-care by taking the afternoon to myself, first going out to lunch and then getting a set…

My husband, Justin, works in fitness. Six months ago he opened a small-group personal training gym in our little Wisconsin town, and he’s been working to grow his membership, which now includes me. Something Justin talks about often with clients — while he’s discussing training, nutrition, or other lifestyle…

Unearned guilt is one of the most useless emotions in the world. Guilt never has a full belly. It feeds eternally upon itself and adds to what’s there. Unearned guilt glues itself to the soul and wearily weighs it down. As the Depeche Mode song “Halo” says, guilt is like…

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, king of Corinth, offends the gods and is sentenced to spend eternity rolling a stone up a mountain, only to have it roll back down just as it reaches the top. The punishment doled out to Sisyphus is horrifying. How awful it is to…

Snow in September? Last week I got a new tattoo. The session was my husband’s gift for our anniversary this year. I told the tattoo artist that I wanted something to mark my myasthenia gravis (MG): a snowflake with the color teal, incorporated into some sort…

The most crippling disability in the world is the mindset of nondisabled people who define people with disabilities by their physical limitations, refuse to view them as full human beings, or ignore their disabilities for self-serving purposes. I’ve been guilty of the latter offense for a long time. I know…

Early this month, I spent the seven most stressful and challenging days of my life. Stress of that sort — financial and physical — can severely affect my myasthenia gravis (MG) symptoms. This column is my call for comfort to those in the MG and other rare disease…