Sarah Bendiff, diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 2019 after 13 years of unanswered symptoms, recalls an office date interrupted by symptoms, when her legs suddenly gave out. Her partner’s response turned a moment of fear into one of connection. Read her column “My Bitter & Best Friend: MG.”
Transcript
I was going to the office. We had an office date. I know it’s not very cool, but since I’m the owner of the business, it was fine. I was going before him to surprise him and prepare some things.
Walking on the road, my legs decided to let me down, and I couldn’t move forward. In my head, I was panicking: “Oh my God, he’s going to come and see me this way. It’s going to ruin the day, ruin the date.”
I remember feeling him coming from behind. He asked, “Do you want me to lift your back?”
His reaction shocked me. I was expecting him to panic or be afraid. Instead, he simply waited, offered help, and stayed calm. The moment I feared would ruin everything became something else entirely.
We had a good date. I laid down the whole time, but it was still a cute date.