Together — Mark Harrington

Once upon a time, I was constantly on the go. From the moment my feet hit the ground each morning, I never stopped. Then myasthenia gravis (MG) entered my life and work became impossible, so I retired. After that, many of the activities that once filled my days vanished.

Last week, I attended a friend’s birthday dinner. Whenever we get together, our conversations remind us why we value each other so much. We always begin with the basics, which change with each passing year. We still ask about things like families and careers, but nowadays, we’re more likely to…

Recently, while researching Irish history, I came across a commonly paraphrased quote of James Joyce that I’d forgotten: “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” I think this resonates with me because living with myasthenia gravis (MG) has taught me how much human discovery comes not from soaring moments,…

Some days it feels as if the world has slipped its moorings. Around the globe, the news is grim and relentless, and living with myasthenia gravis (MG) can intensify that sense of instability. When your body is unpredictable, outside chaos lands harder. Lately, though, I’ve been doing some reflecting.

People have always searched for explanations when confronted with suffering that feels arbitrary or unjust. Before modern medicine, illness was blamed on gods, fate, moral failure, or contagion of the soul. In “The Plague,” Albert Camus described how people cling to meaning in the face of senseless disease, warning…

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…

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…

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Lately, I’ve felt that this Bible verse could’ve been written about me and my muscles. The last week or so has served as a reminder that fall fatigue is indeed a real phenomenon. This time of year always plays tricks…

One of the strange mercies of living with myasthenia gravis (MG) is that it teaches you to hold life gently. Every breath and every moment of strength can feel borrowed. MG serves up daily reminders that endurance is grace. Chronic illness makes us students of impermanence and demands that we…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. When I was 8 years old, I spent two years going in and out of Boston Children’s Hospital. During those years,…

I vividly remember sitting in my third-grade classroom near the end of a school year. Sunshine always filled the classroom at the end of the year, particularly by 1 p.m., making it perfect for an afternoon nap. Those days were unbearable because of the heat, but also because the final…