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.
I used to have a quote on my Facebook page that said, “Don’t take life too seriously; none of us is getting out alive.” To my ear the last part of that quote is…
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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…
My twin brother, Aaron, has always been a fitness nut. When we were teenagers, he routinely invited his girlfriend at the time to come over and exercise with him. Exercise videos on VHS tapes…
Inside every person we know is another part of them we don’t know anything about. As adults, we often hide our pain, either out of pride or to spare others from worrying. My twin…
My fraternal twin brother, Aaron, who was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) 25 years ago, underwent surgery last week to correct his crossed eyes, or strabismus, and double vision. I’m glad to report…
Incessant worrying doesn’t eliminate uncertainty about the future, only the peace of the present. I’m a worrier. I’m not proud of that, but it’s an ingrained personality trait. My twin brother, Aaron, who has…
Most people try to live life as best they can in a chaotic world, but they never have the power to do what they really want to do. As the nondisabled brother of a twin…
Unearned guilt is one of the most useless emotions in the world. Guilt never has a full belly. It feeds eternally upon itself and adds to what’s there. Unearned guilt glues itself to the…
The most crippling disability in the world is the mindset of nondisabled people who define people with disabilities by their physical limitations, refuse to view them as full human beings, or ignore their disabilities…
Hello! My name is Allen Francis. I’m a New York City native, former academic adviser, and currently a full-time freelance writer. Besides a need to lose a few pounds, a short battle with skin…
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