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This year I turned 30. For most of my friends, their 30th birthday meant they could have a big party and use it as an excuse to get together. For me, it was more of a celebration of life and the fact that I am alive. Over the past year,…

Myasthenia gravis has managed to take away quite a few important aspects of my life. These are the things I continuously reminded myself of in moments of self-pity. However, today I possess a few skills and traits that stem from my disease. I’ve refused to let this disease take…

Medical science is ever evolving. There are more diseases being discovered, advances in medical technology, and changes in perceptions of medications and their effects on the human body. Humanity has definitely come a long way since believing that drilling a hole in a patient’s skull would rid them of evil…

When you first get sick, it’s difficult to keep up with the number of cards, bouquets of flowers, and hospital visits you receive. Every day someone comes to visit you in the hospital, and you run out of space to display all of your gifts. However, as time goes on,…

I was never gifted with numbers, but I always felt confident when it came to languages. When my emotions are too overwhelming to comprehend, I look for answers in written work, or I simply start writing down how I feel. It helps me deal with big emotions and determine why I…

Living in a developing country influences my view of the world. I come into contact with the poorest of the poor, yet I can attend world-class private hospitals because I am fortunate to be able to afford medical insurance. We live in such a busy and fast-changing era that we…

Once upon a time, I was healthy and vibrant, reveling in the promises of the future. There is something so delightful about the naivety of youth. It is unspoiled and untainted by the stains of this world. It thrives in the dreams of tomorrow and the wondrous audacity…

One of my closest friends, a fellow MG warrior and mom to an MG teen with juvenile arthritis, told me tearfully one day about how her daughter never got to “ring the bell.” You see, her daughter’s primary juvenile arthritis (JA) treatment was chemotherapy infusions administered in an infusion suite…

Life is filled with a special package of ups and downs individually tailored for each of us. We are then presented with the opportunity to overcome these obstacles or let them take over every aspect of our lives and eventually limit us. I have never been a fan of the…

At school, I wanted to belong to the “cool crowd.” I used to watch them from the outside and was so jealous of the way they seemed to glide around school, owning every little aspect of it. We all wanted to be in their little clique because they were the…