The story in all of us
MS is a mere aspect, label or classification. My story is therefore not one of heroism or tragedy, satire or drama, cheap thrills or grandeur. Showing up for myself in my own life means taking responsibility for the good and the bad while also trying to achieve goals I set myself for 2018.
Dream, Think, Believe, Dare, Do!
"I admire Montel Williams for all the passion he puts into advocating MS in the US, and I could have picked his much-used his phrase “I may have MS but MS does not have me.” For a good while it was a crutch to lean on every day, but I am now at a stage where it has worn out to the very one thread it was built upon. I'd rather opt for a different benchmark so, and therefore chose to underwrite an adapted Walt Disney quote instead."
Lifetime membership
"Looking back at my physical self between the end of November 2009 and today, my MS took a fairly big step backwards twice. With hindsight being 20/20, retiring was the right thing to do. I cannot even begin to think where I’d be medically had I not retired, so if you want anything to work out in your life, then please let it be your early retirement."
Conversations with myself: 2005-2006
While doing a big administration clean up, I came across some old notebooks. The one that caught my eye started on June 5th 2005, and lists MS, professional, friendship and relationship woes as I was diagnosed just two months prior. It’s very much an interior monologue trying to make sense out of nonsense. For example, I wrote about the last meeting with my dog Wolf right before he was put down. Questions about certain relationships also feature heavily as a new me was now meeting new demands, wishes etc. In the next few weeks, I will be publishing parts of my diagnosis diary, so keep an eye on my blog. For more: Dogs, miracles with paws See you then! ©Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2014. Unauthorised…
Making sense of MS
"Even with forced rest breaks and scheduling tasks around my MS, I still have a way of falling asleep in the most unusual poses and ways. If I were to introduce you to my mum, she could keep you up all night with my falling asleep antics. Of course, she’d still be talking to you, while I ungracefully slump over, drop books, am asleep within the first 3 to 5 minutes, sleep through loud fireworks, airplanes or my own house alarm blaring loudly. Like my nana always used to say, “When you do something, you have to do it properly.”
I’m a writer!
When can you call yourself a writer? With that debate still unsolved, I continue to wonder if I can call myself so. After all, I am now a former Incident Coordinator, a former library assistant and therefore a former ‘employed being’ altogether. And that sounds rather bad for one’s ego when pondered upon too long. Asked by people what on earth I now fill my days with when I’m forced to dedicate most of my days to rest and sleep, I simply tell them “I write.” Instantly eyebrows raise higher than one’s crown chakra and a slight shaking of the head indicates the dismay – envy perhaps? – and inner thoughts that spell “this girl has lost it for good.”
Being active
Last week I received an invitation to take part in the 2013 National Meeting Day panel discussion on September 28th by the MS Society of Ireland. Needlessly, I accepted straight away as ‘Being Active and Interactive’ is something that lies close to my heart. If you’ve been part of my blogging community for a while, you already know my online involvement in regards to writing about life with multiple sclerosis as an unwelcome passenger. Because of this, adding something worthwhile to a panel discussion about how staying active and being part of an online community can lead to a very fulfilling pastime – no matter how dull or uninviting it sounds – is something I absolutely want to be part of. As a child and teen, being involved and fighting…
