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.
As I enter my 50s, I find myself living alone as an expatriate in Asia, and I constantly worry about accidentally injuring myself. I’m particularly concerned about slipping and falling. I’ve realized that as…
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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…
Dr. Seuss once said, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” That’s another way of saying you never know what you have until it’s gone, whether…
Identity is how we define ourselves, and it can be established through nature or nurture, voluntarily or not. Part of our identity may even be shaped by the person we imagine ourselves to be…
Author Tom Clancy once wrote, “Surviving is much more painful than death.” Realizing how much my twin brother, Aaron, has been surviving with myasthenia gravis (MG) since his…
Sometimes we say so much about unimportant things that we leave the important things unsaid. Or, we talk about important things using codes or euphemisms. After all, some studies suggest that more than…
One thing that always amazes me about my twin brother, Aaron, is his drive to stay as positive and active as possible. Aaron was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) in 1999 at the…
“Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.” That quote from an unknown author is one of my favorites. Contentment is a mindset we…
Oprah Winfrey once said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” Others have found their own ways to express this idea. The way we deal with adversity reveals our character. It can…
“Silence is a true friend who never betrays,” Confucius once said. There is so much modern science doesn’t know about myasthenia gravis (MG). It must be taxing and frustrating for people with MG…
American writer William Arthur Ward is believed to have said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it.” I’m not grateful enough for my…
A quote attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, says, “You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.” In other words, no matter how much we…
Author Jane Austen once wrote, “Those who do not complain are never pitied.” I was a mediocre English major in college. I won’t tell you I adored “Pride and Prejudice,” but I’ve always remembered…
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