Columns

Listen up, my fellow seronegative warriors. This is your wake-up call. I know the fight you’re in with myasthenia gravis (MG) because I’m in it, too. You’ve been poked, prodded, and told, “But your tests are normal.” You’ve seen the raised eyebrows, felt the silent doubts, and…

In the Irish writer Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895), he writes that memory “is the diary that we all carry about with us.” Still, our memories can’t always be trusted; some scientific research even suggests that our memories can be unreliable. Emotions, voluntary…

Whether it’s a work meeting, family gathering, or friendly meetup, I always feel the need to mention that I might have to cancel due to my chronic illness. But most people don’t seem to fully understand this. I remember watching a discussion on French TV where a woman said something…

1 Kings 19 tells the story of the prophet Elijah’s search to encounter God. Elijah looks for God in a great and powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but has no success until he hears a “gentle whisper.” It turns out that God’s presence is quiet and…

Living with myasthenia gravis (MG) can feel like riding an unpredictable roller coaster. Some days, we coast along smoothly, while on others, it’s like the track was built by a mischievous toddler with a love for loops. With fluctuating muscle strength and fatigue, learning to love and care for…

You’ve probably heard of the saying, “The eyes are the window to your soul.” Yet how do we judge people when their eyes are misaligned through no fault of their own? Do we still want to know what’s in their soul? My twin brother, Aaron, successfully had strabismus surgery…

For the longest time, I thought the biggest obstacle to driving would be my foot pain. I never considered that myasthenia gravis (MG) would affect my ability to drive. My foot pain — unrelated to MG — would come and go, so for a while, I avoided driving because…

Julian of Norwich’s “Revelations of Divine Love” — which she’d originally recorded in 1373 — was first published in 1670. Still in print, this classic of Christian mysticism has influenced unknowable numbers of readers, myself included. I’d like to share how this book has affected my personal philosophy and…

Mornings and I have an understanding: If I allow myself the time I need to ease into the day, things go relatively smoothly. If I don’t? Let’s just say it’s a recipe for disaster. I know myself well enough to acknowledge that because of my myasthenia gravis (MG), I…

This column describes the experiences of the author’s brother with side effects to several MG medications. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Comedian Chris Rock was at the peak of his creative powers in 1999, when he…