Resilience
"Most of all, though, I had once again come to the realisation that I unfortunately need more sleep than the average, healthy person. At this stage so, I must start considering my continuous fights against tiredness and “forgetfulness” about needing a lot of sleep, as a pure character flaw. Perhaps I should also consider this forgetfulness a deliberate act of personal terrorism because who doesn’t like being busy? Who doesn’t like being able to get up in the morning and continue to work and stay awake for the next 12+ hours without falling asleep after 2 hours?"
Kids? Not right now, please…
Children and multiple sclerosis? Although life was good in my last relationship, I secretly decided that having children would probably not be on my list of things to do. Not because of the lack of love, but because I didn’t want to pass on my illness to my future son or daughter. When we eventually talked about possibly mixing my illness with his screaming babies and hectic lifestyle, I realised that in quiet, I made the right decision. Being broody comes with being female, and despite my decision, I still get broody sometimes. If it wasn’t for MS, I absolutely would’ve wanted children. One of the few nice things about being chronically ill and being childless is however, when looking after children of friends and family, you can give their…
Christmas!
© Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
My brother’s silence
Grief, a tear in my mind when others talk about their brother. A hug I cannot feel anymore. A future we will not share anymore. There is a silence I cannot place, memories that are beginning to fade. The silence he leaves behind, follows me in places in Ireland I know he would have loved, he would want to return to time after time.
My brother
A small, black leather wallet. Used, worn, and carrying the scent of the jeans my brother used to wear. A plectrum faded from the many songs he played on his bass guitar. Memories. Too many to fill my mind at once. Love. Too deep to ever forget he was my brother, my only sibling.
My Mum
My mum is my best friend, my backbone and my reason d’être. She’s strong despite having lost her first-born, her second husband, her dogs and much more. She’s risen like a phoenix from her ashes and every day I am more proud of her. Every day she shows that life goes on, that there is always light at the end of the tunnel and because of that, I love her so much. When growing up, my mum gave me time and space to spread my wings and to find myself. Because of her, my ten years living in Ireland became a dream-come-true and she supports me every single day. We’ve travelled around Ireland many times and I hope to add many more trips to this and if she’s not in…
2012: not the end of the world
It’s been an eventful year, and even though there are still 3,5 weeks to go before we enter 2013, I can safely say that this year was one of personal growth and finding myself. Personal growth involves letting go of things you don’t want to clutter your mind, and perhaps ups and downs need to be part of that package also. Somehow inner strength – still wondering where it came from – and hope has kept me walking with my head held high. I’ve learned that yes, I am alternative and it’s OK to be so, not in a punk, anarchist kind of way, but I refuse to be put in one type of box because there’s more to myself than blindly following the crowd to be accepted. I’ve never…
