"I learned to see life in a different way."
Tim's Journal
Recent Posts
- Staying Strong For My Son
- How Accepting a Little Change Might Do You Good
- It Takes a Village
- Goals, Relapsing MS, and Me
- Carpe Diem!
- Being There For Each Other
- What I Want For My Son
- Finding Comedy in Everyday Living
- My Best Day Yet!
- Managing Relapsing MS - What Has Worked For Me So Far
- Friends
Posts by Author
Author Bios
Staying Strong For My Son
June 26, 2008
The things we emphasized when we told my son, who was nine at the time, about my relapsing MS diagnosis were the things that he needed to hear, that everything was OK. First and foremost, I wasn't going to die. Secondly, even though there'd probably be bumps in the road like when I couldn't walk during my first big attack, I'd be pretty much plain old, dependable Dad at least until he was in college. I wish I could have convinced myself as easily that everything was fine , but that's another story. ...read more
How Accepting a Little Change Might Do You Good
June 12, 2008
People are often surprised to hear that I have relapsing MS because I am a pretty active person. Sometimes I even surprise myself with what my body is capable of. When I was diagnosed I thought that I would have to give up many of the things I enjoy. Now I know that what I have to give up are my ideas about how things are supposed to be done. Being open to change, accepting my limitations, and trying new things has enabled me to do far more now than I ever did before MS entered the scene. ...read more
It Takes a Village
May 29, 2008
The first time that I actually met and talked with anyone else with MS was almost 18 months after I was diagnosed. I went to San Antonio to be inducted into the MS LifeLines family as an Ambassador. Up until that time I had not dared go to a single support group, walk, or other MS-related event because I was afraid of what I would encounter and how it would make me feel. ...read more
Goals, Relapsing MS, and Me
May 15, 2008
Before I had my first MS attack, I was very ambitious, driven, and goal-oriented; classic overachiever traits. Unfortunately, I'm sure that if you asked my wife, she would tell you that I wasn't really overachieving enough to make the other adjectives that went along with those traits (like insufferable and overly meticulous) worthwhile. I guess the problem was not the fact that I was setting goals for myself, but that I was setting the wrong ones. ...read more
Carpe Diem!
May 1, 2008
Learning that the Latin phrase "carpe diem" means "seize the day" didn't make me classically educated, especially since I learned it from a movie, not in school. However, understanding and embracing the philosophy that it represents has perhaps made me a little wiser and ultimately better equipped to live with relapsing MS. ...read more
Being There For Each Other
April 17, 2008
I am very fortunate that I have been married to a great, strong, smart, funny woman for 15 years. Being married that long is quite an accomplishment these days, particularly given that we were so young when we got married (I was 26, she was only 20). Unbeknownst to us at the time, even the members of our wedding party started a pool on how long we'd last and nobody bet over three years! ...read more
What I Want For My Son
April 4, 2008
I'm going to start this entry by suggesting that if I were to ask a large number of parents with and without MS what their hopes and dreams for their kids, were that the results would largely be the same. They would pretty much all hope that their children would live long, healthy and happy lives. They'd probably all wish that their children all found great, rewarding careers and, in due time, love. I'd also be very surprised if any would not hope for a fine gaggle of grandkids to spring forth from their well educated, rich, successful, blissfully happily married children. ...read more
Finding Comedy in Everyday Living
March 20, 2008
Let me start by stating for the record that I'm an Englishman. We English tend to have a pretty fatalistic view of life. We are much less likely to have the optimism and drive to improve things. An English man or woman is much more likely to say "oh well — that's just the way it is, better get used to it" rather than "that sucks — how can we fix it?" ...read more
My Best Day Yet!
March 6, 2008
The worst days I've ever had were those immediately after diagnosis of relapsing MS, as I grieved for what I saw as the loss of my good health. Over several months, that grief grew into an obsession with MS that my wife described as an unwelcome "elephant in the room". During that time I wouldn't have been capable of having a good day if I'd won the Powerball jackpot! ...read more
Managing Relapsing MS - What Has Worked For Me So Far
February 21, 2008
One of the best things about being an MS Lifelines Ambassador is that I not only get to hear a lot of top-flight experts speak on the subject, but that I also get to meet a lot of people just like me - those living every day with relapsing MS. It's an incredibly supportive community in which fellow MSers swap tips and root for one another. ...read more
Friends
February 7, 2008
You've gotta have friends, or so the song says. Like many things people often say, it's true. For sure, it certainly helps to have all the people you can in your corner when you're dealing with this disease. ...read more
