This is a blog about what it is like living with a chronic illness like Multiple Sclerosis. It is not about pity or failures but rather my adventures as my life has changed with this wonderful,mysterious disease. I visited with a wheelchair for about 10 years, didn’t like it and decided there had to be a better way. Coming from a physically active lifestyle (skier, hiker, biker, dancer, ex-ER nurse) gave me an edge in realizing if I worked hard at retraining muscle, just maybe, I could dump my chair. So that is what I did. I made the decision to work daily on getting stronger both physically and mentally. I worked with a physical trainer many times a week, forced myself to stand when I felt like sitting, began swimming and began intensive therapy with a woman who made me see that our choices to be positive can really affect our physical and emotional well being. 

My disease did progress and 2 years ago I took a very serious fall down a flight of stairs ending up in our local trauma unit. What that did do was make my doctors look at me with new eyes and OMG decided I needed to be on one of the MS drugs. So I had a temporary visit again with my chair but a week after getting out of the hospital was right back in the pool working with a trainer. I also realized I was most unhappy living my life in my loft in a beautiful but noisy city. I chose to go online to find a male friend who really had the same interests as me-was very choosy but got extremely lucky in finding my wonderful husband. It was as if we were meant to be together. We both wanted to be in a sunny but rural area in the summer and travel during the winter. I’ve done well on the daily shots I have to give. They have so far stopped my relapses and most of all I do not take anything in life for granted. I laugh at myself, but stay positive. I love my naps when I am tired but will never give up my spirit of adventure. 

I climb hills now with walking poles, dig rocks and make jewelry, ride a bike again and love to swim. I recently took the most romantic honeymoon to Tahiti for 3 weeks and loved every minute of it. My husband is incredibly supportive of me and I am of him. We have a partnership I would have killed for 30 years ago. 

So you will see pictures and stories of rocks, my travels, the stupid things my dorkie dog does (part dauchsund and yorkie) and so much more. I will always try to give suggestions on how to live better with this MS thing but it is up to every individual to choose how they wish to live.