Cindy Stralsoff, who lives in San Francisco, was diagnosed with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) at 67. She describes how MG has shaped her relationship with speaking and singing, how she manages fluctuating symptoms in the moment, and why holding on to hope and a sense of self helps her face each day.
Transcript
Speaking. Because I like to talk to people, and I love to help other people with myasthenia. So speech is very important to me.
And I’m a singer. Of course, the breath and the muscles here go along with that, and so that’s also an issue for me. But the number one thing would be to make sure I’m speaking all right.
I stop talking, I slow down, I breathe, I distract. It gets better, or it doesn’t get better. It’s a challenge to live with fluctuating symptoms with any kind of illness. But I think if you can get your mind around the fact that you’re still yourself, it will pass.
And I do have a complete hope that I’m going to go into remission somehow, and that’s what I fight for every single day. So I’m not thinking I’m going to have this the rest of my life, and having that thought makes it easier to deal with the daily struggles that you have.
