Mark Harrington, a Boston native, shares how living with myasthenia gravis reshaped his sense of self, and how grief, growth, and acceptance can coexist after diagnosis. Read his column, “Together.”
Transcript
People can look beyond myasthenia gravis, and they can see that the you that was always there is still there.
That used to show up every day is still in there. And if you can see beyond the myasthenia gravis, you can still see Mark. You have to love me for who I’ve always been.
The person I am with myasthenia is a different person than the person I was before it. I’ve often said that when you’re diagnosed with something like MG, there’s a death, and the death is the self you used to be. You have to grieve that.
I think it’s incredibly important to go through the stages of grief, just as you would if someone who you love died. But then when you come out of that grieving, there’s a me that’s more patient.
There’s a me that’s definitely mellower, and there’s a me that has a tenderness that I didn’t have before. That person is more accepting and less demanding. I think they find that attractive.
