In the blink of an eye…
© 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 mum
Tomorrow I celebrate my 10th anniversary of living in Ireland. Somehow it’s a surreal anniversary, not only because of how time has flown by so fast since the day of my leaving but also because of the strength of some of my dearest family members have shown over the past years, especially 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.
Friendship
To the many friends that were in my life because of work, in Ireland and elsewhere, and to those who were in my life before MS crashed into my environment… thank you for the fun times, the many discussions we learned from, the trips we went on and the sorrow-free late evening chats… To those that were in my life around the time of my diagnosis… thank you for being there when I didn’t understand what was happening, the silences we shared taking it all in and for visiting me in hospital and at home when I was unable to be there for you…
An Open Letter To Those Without MS
I’ve known about this letter for a while now, and sometimes I feel the need to read it again, as if by reading it once more, people around me will understand what having an incurable illness feels like even when they’re not the ones reading it. However, at the end of the day, I cannot step in those people’s shoes and make them accept what is going on inside me. I am the first person that needs to educate my family, friends, ex-colleagues etc. I am the first one that has to tell them the same things over and over, and I will be the only one to know the truth about my own MS. I am my expert-patient and I will be the only one that will have to…
What MS feels like in your mind
What multiple sclerosis feels like on a mental level? How does it affect your mind? These are questions many people wonder about: those with MS, wondering how others feel with the illness they share. Or people without MS, like your family, your friends, just curious how you are feeling. And then there are those that ask that question as well because they don’t believe a word of what you’re saying. These are questions I sometimes ask myself, because the symptoms come and go, change and get better or worse. Disappear altogether while new ones appear. So what goes on in your mind with the constant changes? Knowing what MS feels like if you have MS yourself, that makes you an expert patient… of yourself. I’ve met all three types of people;…