Scott McCormack, who lives in California, was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 2014. He shares about drawing boundaries for loved ones who are eager to care for him, learning to embrace their care while maintaining self-sufficiency.

When I was hit with generalized myasthenia, that affected pretty much every voluntary muscle other than my lung muscles and my throat muscles, thank goodness. It was difficult to walk. It was — getting out of a chair was a real chore. Walking to the kitchen, my heart rate would go up to 120 with a 20-foot walk. I was very clearly very ill.

All my loved ones began to question everything. “Here, let me get this for you. Let me do this for you. No, you don’t need to do that.” I felt very much like, “I’m not an invalid. I’m really not. I can still do things on my own.” And it really bothered me for quite a while.

And then I realized it’s only because they care. I was important to them. They didn’t want me falling down. They didn’t want me hurting myself.

And so I talked to all of them, and I told them I appreciated their concern. And certainly if there’s something that I could put myself in danger, let me know. But if I’m just getting out of a chair, it’s OK.

To this day, I have to tell you, and I — and I appreciate that as we’re walking somewhere, all the daughters, my wife, they will — “Hey, there’s a curb coming up. Hey, there’s a little pothole here.” You know, “Be careful with your step here.”

And where that used to bother me, now I just say thank you because I know it comes from love.