Columns

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to attend an Ed Sheeran concert. Passenger opened for him, and I danced the night away, smiling so much that my cheeks got sore. I have been to concerts before, but never any quite like that one. It was a long day, but luckily,…

When I was first diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, I already was headed for a crisis. I had been battling symptoms for a couple of months, yet all of the doctors told me they were psychosomatic. They said that if it wasn’t anorexia, then it must be something similar. By the…

When I received my rare chronic illness diagnosis, I felt like I was all alone in the world and nobody truly understood what I was going through. My friends and family felt sorry for me, but they didn’t understand the extent to which my condition affected my life. I was…

Editor’s Note: This column discusses the sensitive topic of suicidal ideation.  The moment doctors diagnosed me with myasthenia gravis (MG), they prescribed me antidepressants. It didn’t make much sense to me at the time. I thought a diagnosis would result in treatment that would restore the life I…

I have been housebound since my stem cell transplant and was starting to get rather crabby about the whole situation. I am used to independence — visiting friends and going to work — so this has been a very trying time. However, it has also been good…

Last weekend, I watched the movie “Wonder” again — for probably about the fifth time. The first day it was released in South Africa, I sat in the cinema crying my eyes out. Since then, I have watched it whenever I have spotted it showing on the television, as…

Doctors diagnosed me with myasthenia gravis at the end of my first year at university. I was symptomatic the entire year and running from specialist to specialist begging for a diagnosis. Most of that year is a blur, but one thing made the period bearable and memorable: my…

When someone with a chronic illness says they are tired, they don’t simply mean, “Oh, I could probably do with a nap.” They mean that their body is beyond exhausted, that they can’t keep their eyes open, and that doing simple daily tasks is just too much. Recently, I had…

“I’m going in for chemotherapy.” That was my response when people inquired about my treatment plan. “But you don’t have cancer.” That was the reply I got from most of them. “So it can’t be that bad. I mean, it can’t be real chemo, can it?” How do you determine…

I might have been dealt an unlucky hand in terms of my general health, but I believe I was the luckiest of all when it came to assigning significant others. I am blessed beyond measure with Tom, who is caring, sweet, and understanding. People can show they care…