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In Algeria, we say that no one truly feels the pain of lava stones except those who have been burned by them before. It’s our way of saying that pain creates empathy, and that suffering opens the door to understanding others. When I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (…

Recently, while researching Irish history, I came across a commonly paraphrased quote of James Joyce that I’d forgotten: “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” I think this resonates with me because living with myasthenia gravis (MG) has taught me how much human discovery comes not from soaring moments,…

Opportunities often arise when we least expect them, as the saying goes. My twin brother, Aaron, recently told me that the frigid weather in New York City has given him a chance to return to the gym. Aaron explained that his symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) improve dramatically…

I love working. I love creating. I love staying active and leaving my mark on the world. But myasthenia gravis (MG) doesn’t always enjoy accompanying me on that path, so I had to come up with a plan to keep going. The struggles are real and concrete. One of…

Intimacy becomes a different kind of conversation when a chronic illness like myasthenia gravis (MG) enters a relationship. Before my diagnosis, I believed closeness was mostly about desire, timing, and connection. I didn’t realize how much it also depended on muscle strength, breath control, and the ability to stay…

We exist in a perpetual journey of personal development, always trying to become the best version of ourselves, or at least the most stable one. Yet even people who are not actively seeking happiness may still spend their time running away from their problems. But how can you do that…

Some days it feels as if the world has slipped its moorings. Around the globe, the news is grim and relentless, and living with myasthenia gravis (MG) can intensify that sense of instability. When your body is unpredictable, outside chaos lands harder. Lately, though, I’ve been doing some reflecting.

Loving your body is easy advice to give when your body behaves. When it wakes up when you do, moves when you ask, and carries you through the day without protest. But when you live with myasthenia gravis (MG), the relationship you have with your body becomes something far…

I live in Manila, Philippines, while my twin brother, Aaron, still calls our hometown of New York City home. Depending on daylight saving time, there is about a 12-hour time difference between us. When it’s morning or afternoon here in Manila, it’s early evening or late at night in New…

I try not to be obsessed with assessing my symptoms of myasthenia gravis every morning. I try to let things be and simply accept whatever my body decides that day. But it always ends the same way. I am in pain, and I am not healthy. A sad reality…