Strength In Weakness – a Column by Michelle Gonzaba

On my side of the world, we are beginning to see temperatures drop. I’ve never been a big fan of summer. I don’t enjoy sweating, and I like mosquitoes even less. For someone like me, who lives with myasthenia gravis (MG), summer also means heat exhaustion. So, I’ve…

Many years ago, my grandfather ended up in the hospital due to a bad fall. Luckily, he didn’t break any bones and was released after a brief stay. I don’t have strong memories from this experience, but one thing I do recall is the bright yellow “FALL RISK” wristband…

Growing up, for lack of a better term, is very weird. I no longer understand what’s cool or not, I now repeat phrases my mother says (“All of these rappers sound the same!”), and my lower back can’t handle my odd sitting positions anymore. I didn’t think I would stay…

I’ve never been great at asking for help. Ever since I was a kid, I always thought that asking for help meant I wasn’t as smart as everyone else. I was also petrified to ask a question that others would laugh at. There wasn’t a certain event or moment…

We’ve all experienced a time in our lives when we missed an important event. Maybe work prevented us from attending a family get-together, or perhaps celebrations were too far away to attend. Regardless of the reason, we’ve all felt that disappointment about missing out on a significant occasion. For those…

For as long as I can remember, my definition of success hasn’t wavered much. It didn’t matter if I was playing in a Little League game or preparing for a job interview, success always meant having the most, conquering others, and being the best. I could argue that my…

I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) at the self-centered age of 19. Ah, 19, that beautiful age when we think no one else in the world has worse problems than we do. While I wasn’t a total monster at that age, I was handling my problems in unnecessarily dramatic…

For the past three years of my life, August has been one of the most stressful months of the year. For others, August often is the beginning of that weird time between summer and fall. But for teachers like me, it’s the start of a new school year. From…

Doctors’ appointments aren’t among my favorite activities, but they are necessary when weird symptoms occur. Before I had myasthenia gravis (MG), doctors’ appointments were rare for me. Except for physicals for school, I didn’t go that often. I could claim this was because of my sterling health record before MG,…

While I have never been the most athletic person in the world, I’ve always enjoyed playing various sports. I am a veteran of top leagues, including YMCA basketball and Little League softball. I dabbled in volleyball and had a long, two-day career in track. But as I’ve grown up…