Oh How Time Flies…
Ten years. It’s been 10 years since my life was changed forever with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). It’s not like hearing you have a cold, or even cancer. With those, there is light at the end of the tunnel (in a good majority of cases). With MS, however, there is no magical medicine or treatment that will make it disappear. I will live with MS for the rest of my life.
That was something I didn’t quite “get” when I was told I had MS by my neurologist back in February of 2013. Having MS, or any auto-immune disease, means you will have to deal with it forever. There is simply no cure for what ails you.
It took me a good number of years to come to this realization. Fortunately for me, once I “recovered” from the two relapses I had, and I changed treatments (Rebif to Tysabri), I’ve been able to live a relatively normal existence. I do see doctors a lot more than I ever used to, but I’d argue that I am healthier now, going on 46 years old, than I’ve ever been, and that includes my Air Force days over 20 years ago.
I haven’t been back to work in these 10 years, and that was by choice. With the long-term build-up of stress playing a major factor in my MS relapsing, my wife, Lisa, and I thought it would be best to avoid it wherever possible, and that started with work. I was already growing tired of working IT at that point anyway, so it kind of worked out for the best. Fortunately, Lisa’s job pays her quite well (always more than whatever I was making in Maryland or here in Florida), and we’ve been able to live very comfortably on just her income alone.
To help ward off stress, I decided to start up a hobby that I’d always had a passion for but never really had the proper space or time for…woodworking. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved watching Norm Abram on The New Yankee Workshop. I had a few of my own tools, including some my dad gave me, but they weren’t the best and I quickly graduated to much bigger and better options.
I absolutely love going into my workshop and working on pretty much anything. It’s such a great feeling to be able to think about something and then actually bring it into existence with my own hands. While I still have a ways to go on this part of my journey, I’m forever learning and honing my skills. In 2022, I was able to finish my office remodel by completing five matching pieces of furniture.
At the time of my diagnosis, I was not a person who ventured onto social media. Honestly, I looked at it as the bane of human existence. All of the negatives I’d heard over the years really steered me away from it. However, in 2019, I decided to hop onto Instagram and start showcasing my journey through woodworking while living with MS. At first, I was focusing entirely on things in the workshop and the progress on whatever it was I was building.
Shortly after joining Instagram, I created this website, as another outlet to showcase my work and my overall health progress. I don’t get a ton of traffic on the site for my health updates (very little, in fact), but doing all of the writing helps me express myself. Maintaining the website gives me something else to work on and further improve upon. I’ve even gotten into creative writing a little bit in recent years as well.
Then, in 2021, I started opening up more about my MS on Instagram, starting with my first ever failed MRI. Since then, I’ve tried to keep updating my health status at least once a month with every Tysabri infusion I get. By doing this, I’ve opened up my world to so many more people who’ve starting following me and cheering me on. Whether it is through my successes or failures, in woodworking or with my health, I have the support of an entire community of those living with many different chronic diseases, not just MS.
Throughout the process of opening up about my condition, I’ve been able to connect with some amazing people. Perhaps the most important one is my good friend Eliza. I don’t remember exactly what lead to us start talking to each other. I think I happened onto a post of hers talking about her chronic pancreatitis and I started asking a few questions about it. From there, we just started chatting more. Then, she herself was diagnosed with MS, and our friendship blossomed even more from there.
Eliza’s spirit and continued positivity gives me hope. She faces seemingly increasing setbacks with her own health, but continues moving forward and not letting these hurdles stop her from living and enjoying life (at least as much as her body will allow). She is truly an inspiration to, not only me, but to everyone who knows her. She’s a wonderful friend, and I love her dearly.
I have not a clue what the future holds…none of us does. Will the next decade be much of the same for me, as the previous eight years or so, with my MS being in remission…nobody knows. I certainly am hoping that will be the case.
Whatever the future has in store, all I can do is take things one day at a time, and enjoy the time I have with Lisa and the rest of my friends and family. Most importantly, as my good friend Lisa always stresses, I must continue to keep moving forward.
