A top story at 6

We encountered some surreal sorts of moments as the nation celebrated MS Awareness Week March 11-17. As part of this celebration Jennifer and I spent all day Thursday at Central Montcalm High School in Stanton, Mich., sharing our stories with six different classes of students. High school English teacher and our friend, Theresa, had invited us to speak as guest authors after most of her students were assigned to read “Let me tell you about … Becoming the Bat Man” – an essay from our book, “Despite MS, to Spite MS,” – as part of their nonfiction writing...

Mind if we play through?

I enjoy that even with the challenges Jennifer and I face in living with MS, every day life is everyday life. The effects of these challenges  – including everything from her inability to walk to my constantly numb hands and feet – merely are par for our courses of this disease. It’s as though we are looking right at MS and asking, “Mind if we play through?” But we never stop to see if it’s granting us permission. We just tee it up and drive ourselves down the next fairway of our life together. Sure, there are plenty of sand traps, trees, doglegs,...

Our MS story on Sirius XM

We’re so ecstatic that our Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series! In addition to the fact that the Tigers swept the Bronx Bombers to secure their spot in the World Series, their quick ALCS win gave us this weekend to prepare for (and freak out about) one of our biggest interviews ever. How big? I think Jennifer’s recent Facebook post said it best: “Dan Digmann explained this much more eloquently, but all I have to say is, ‘Holy Crap, we’ll be sharing our story about living with MS on XM Radio Monday...

Faith in the face of MS

MS and our story are making it to the East Coast! We spent nearly 45 minutes on the telephone last Monday evening with Paul Kretchmer, producer of the WIHS Journal (104.9 FM) radio program for the Christian radio station based in Middletown, Conn. He had contacted us to follow up on the news release we recently distributed about our book, Despite MS, to Spite MS. While Jennifer and I spent most of the time with Paul discussing our experiences and perspectives with the disease we share, he asked questions that presented the opportunity to talk about one of the most...

Blind Dan’s bluff

I’m up early this morning to get a head start on the stifling summer sauna that is July in Michigan. Staying on track with my August 8K training, I stretch my muscles, double-knot my shoes, and kiss Jennifer goodbye as she reminds me, “Have a good run, and pick up your feet.” “I will, and I love you,” I reminder her as I step onto the porch and into the streets peppered in shadows created by the still-rising sun. I’m going for a run. It’ll be about four miles today. I have Multiple Sclerosis, and with every step and stride I play into the hands of so many...

Trapped

Exactly one week ago today, I was enjoying the best concert I have ever been to. Funny—it was a show by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Yes, the 80s rock singer of Born in the U.S.A. The guy that led me to tell my mom nearly 10 years ago, after meeting my now-husband Dan, “Sure he’s cute and all but Mom, Dan likes Bruce Springsteen. Yuck!!” But in these last 10 years, I’ve gotten familiar with and fond of Springsteen’s vast catalogue of music. It is so much more than Jersey bar band music and Born in the U.S.A. I’ve even seen Bruce and company live...