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I noticed during my most recent video call with my twin brother, Aaron, that he was sorting through a pile of his old-school CDs and cassettes. I teased him about listening to outdated tech. “The cassette player died years ago,” he said. He was checking song titles to see if…

Tiredness and exhaustion can often be solved with rest, but constant pain and discomfort steal sleep from my eyes. Doctors keep telling me that myasthenia gravis (MG) doesn’t cause pain, yet my body suggests the opposite. So I keep asking myself: Is MG really painless? I have been…

I haven’t written in a few weeks due to problems with my legs and knees. This has been the most pain I’ve endured since developing avascular necrosis in both hips. The bone destruction was caused by high doses of prednisone prescribed to treat my myasthenia gravis (MG). It led…

Living with myasthenia gravis (MG) is already a full-time job, and not the cushy work-from-home kind with pajama pants and flexible hours. MG is the kind of job that keeps changing your schedule without warning, hands you tasks you didn’t train for, and occasionally leaves you flat on your…

In many cultures, being a doctor is considered the ultimate sign of success, as is the case here in Algeria. As a child, I looked up to doctors, whom I viewed as heroes, with their white coats and calm voices. These people had the power to save lives. But because…

If you’re shopping for someone with myasthenia gravis (MG), choosing the right gift can feel a little like trying to guess what kind of weather you’ll get tomorrow — unpredictable with a chance of “my body said nope.” MG is a rare condition that affects muscle strength, so…

Sometimes people tell me I should be grateful. I have myasthenia gravis (MG), and when I talk about my chronic illness, some will respond: “But you’re fine; you’re not that sick. There are people who can’t even walk.” My instant feeling in those moments is anger. “How could you…

I cry when it rains, get mad when the wind blows too hard, and dance with joy when spring arrives. I thought for years that these were just part of my emotions and psychology; that maybe I was overly sensitive or simply dramatic. But I’ve realized something deeper lately: Being…

Thanksgiving season reminds me of something author Melody Beattie wrote: “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a…

Living with myasthenia gravis (MG) can feel like starring in a mystery movie I never auditioned for. One minute, I’m moving just fine, and the next, my muscles behave like someone flipped my power switch to low. Anyone with MG knows this rhythm all too well, but my road…