I think I’ve been looking for ways to save or help my twin brother, Aaron, for years now. I’ve come to this realization before, when someone mentioned to me that I might have survivor’s guilt because Aaron developed myasthenia gravis (MG) at a young age, and I did not. Recently,…
Me, My Brother, and MG — Allen Francis
Allen Francis is a New York City native, graduate from Marymount Manhattan College, and a former college advisor. He writes from his experience of having a twin brother, Aaron, who has been afflicted with myasthenia gravis (MG) since 1999. From his perspective of a loving sibling, Allen wants to learn more about MG and advocate for more awareness about the rare and medically unknown condition. Allen is also a lifelong comic book fan dedicated to launching his own company writing comic books with his twin.
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“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” — From the 2002 film “The Hours” Peace of mind is a choice one makes to deal with life’s adversities. It’s a lesson I’m still learning myself. Over the years, I’ve made many assumptions about how my twin brother, Aaron, deals with…
Understanding someone involves so much more than knowledge. I have been learning about myasthenia gravis (MG) and its symptoms over the years, but I don’t know if it’s brought me any closer to understanding my twin, Aaron. MG completely altered his personal life and ended his work life. I…
Even 26 years after his myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis, my twin brother, Aaron, struggles to talk about the effects of his disease. But he is beginning to open up a little more. Recently, he’s begun to talk about the trouble he has with walking. I thought this was…
My twin brother, Aaron, who has myasthenia gravis (MG), recently engaged in a physically intensive task. He explained over the phone that he had been cleaning his room when he came across some old wooden planks from a forgotten home project. He decided to finish it by…
My twin brother’s eyes have begun to droop again. It happened during a period recently when I got locked out of my main social media account, and I was busy with work, so I wasn’t keeping in touch with Aaron as much as I usually do. Drooping eyes used to…
For more than 26 years, I avoided talking about myasthenia gravis (MG) with my twin, Aaron. We’re 50 now, and Aaron was in his mid-20s when he was diagnosed, and everything changed. He went from being an intense, exercise-loving, hard-working man to living with a condition that weakens his…
My twin brother, Aaron, took advantage of the recent winter blast in New York and went to the gym. With myasthenia gravis (MG), he finds that he has more energy in lower temperatures. Being out in public means having to sometimes deal with people at their worst.
Opportunities often arise when we least expect them, as the saying goes. My twin brother, Aaron, recently told me that the frigid weather in New York City has given him a chance to return to the gym. Aaron explained that his symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG) improve dramatically…
I live in Manila, Philippines, while my twin brother, Aaron, still calls our hometown of New York City home. Depending on daylight saving time, there is about a 12-hour time difference between us. When it’s morning or afternoon here in Manila, it’s early evening or late at night in New…
I was shocked when I learned recently that my twin brother, Aaron, had suddenly become lactose intolerant at age 50. He was diagnosed after becoming violently ill from adding cheese to a beef empanada. It was quite a blow to him. As New Yorkers, we grew up on milk and…
As I chatted recently with my twin brother, Aaron, on a video call, I noticed he was sipping a smoothie. This was very odd to me. Aaron is a serious fitness nut, and before he developed myasthenia gravis (MG), he was always exercising. But…
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