Together — Mark Harrington

The final lines of Voltaire’s “Candide” are some of my favorites in literature. As the story concludes, two of the main characters reflect on the “concatenation of events,” some of which were unpleasant and difficult, that ended in happiness for all. After a summation of their journey, the…

“No man steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus “It’s the paradox that the more you allow yourself to accept that change is inevitable, the more likely you are to change intentionally and adapt.” —…

The U.S. healthcare system is broken. There’s nothing earth-shattering in that statement. However, every day, people — our friends, neighbors, and family members — die as a result. Recent events in my life brought this home with painful clarity. Prior to my myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis, I believed that…

“The older people get, the more positive they are about aging and the more adaptive they are to their limitations. Social science tends to define old people by their disabilities. But people don’t define themselves that way.” — Laura L. Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, as…

“Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.” — Norman Cousins Jan. 9, 2011 began like any other day. I had no idea that by nighttime, one of the greatest and longest relationships of my life would have begun. That evening, I saw the…

“Definition of chronic pain: being constantly in pain. Yes, constantly. Every single second. The person is smiling? Still in pain. The person doesn’t mention it? Still in pain. The person says ‘I’m fine.’ Still in pain.” — Unknown Chronic pain has been my constant companion for the…

“Sometimes you will be in control of your illness and other times you’ll sink into despair, and that’s OK! Freak out, forgive yourself, and try again tomorrow.” — Kelly Hemingway I remember when I first read the myth of Sisyphus. I thought it’d be awful to work diligently at…

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” — Luke 18:16 As a teacher, this Bible passage always resonates with me. Last November, I traveled back home to Maine…

Here in the United States, the richest nation in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product, medical expenses are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy. People in the rare disease community are well aware of this and among the hardest hit. Seven years ago, I went…

Around age 5, I began having difficulty walking. A couple of times a day I would get a strange, pins-and-needles sensation in my right leg. I was young and didn’t think much of it. When my parents became aware, they were concerned. Multiple doctors told us not to worry. My…

In the book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl writes, “If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.” A…

On March 4, 1933, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told a fearful nation that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” Roosevelt’s words didn’t immediately end the financial chaos in the U.S. at…