The mid-September sun is shining at Jennifer’s back as she comfortably sits in the recliner. Well, sits as comfortably as she can when, for the last six hours, a blood pressure monitor has consistently squeezed her left bicep and an IV port inserted in her top right wrist has pumped chemicals of hope into her…… Continue Reading
Catch the Digmanns in the news
Author Archives: Dan
In front of Pharma in Philadelphia
In a less-than-silent protest Cooper is not posting his Monday morning blog this week. He’s extremely upset with Jennifer and me and made this known the second we got home late Thursday night. I kid you not: Cooper ripped off a litany of what I could only interpret as foul-mouthed meows to scold us for…… Continue Reading
Let’s get political
Looking back on your past year (it’s standard protocol for any New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, right?), what events stand out as your highlights? Perhaps it was achieving a long-time goal such as losing weight, running your first 5K, quitting smoking or completing a house remodeling project. Or, maybe it was the vacation…… Continue Reading
An MS caregiver's cry revisited: Take me
As I sat out in the living room reading my book for graduate school, I heard Jennifer back in the bedroom crying in pain. The damn trigeminal neuralgia had woken her from her nap. It’s the sharp nerve pain for which she just wrote about in a guest post on MSlisaSAYS that appeared later in…… Continue Reading
Our very Osmond anniversary
Call it convenient timing, but the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Michigan Chapter hosted its annual Women on the Move Luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 10, in downtown Detroit. It was the same day that Jennifer and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. Hmmmmm …. The foundation of Jennifer and my story is that we met at a…… Continue Reading
The Fighting Shamrocks: Rebecca’s story
When Jennifer and I arrived at the Bike MS event in East Lansing, Mich., we were humbled after a woman approached us to say how much our book and our presentation at the NMSS Michigan Chapter annual meeting a few years ago meant to her. Little did we know she soon would blow us away…… Continue Reading
Jennifer of all trades. Master of Arts.
On Dec. 16, 2010, Jennifer posted “Halfway through.” In this blog she talked about how much work she had completed toward her Master of Arts in Humanities degree, as well as the equal amount she had left to finish in order to graduate from Central Michigan University. On May 4, 2013, her dream of a…… Continue Reading
Our true love story
I always tell my interns to write tight. Make each word count. I hope I make them proud with this post as I let the humbling work of others speak volumes. See for yourself why Jennifer and I gratefully offer huge thanks to: • Adam Miedema – our friend and my Central Michigan University colleague…… Continue Reading
MS and a 6th grader’s vision
Ryan Backus hadn’t really heard of Multiple Sclerosis before March of this year. The Fancher Elementary School student was focused more on the activities and issues that typically concern 11-year-old boys. You know, things like making art, drawing pictures, playing baseball and hockey and rehearsing for the 6th grade Mock Rock event. But his not-so-typical…… Continue Reading
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…… Continue Reading