quality of life

I’m a self-sabotaging, push-the-limits kind of gal. The worst kind of patient. The sort of patient doctors warn their interns about. Yes, I know I should be following their recommendations, nodding politely when I’m told what to do, but my neurologist and I both know that I probably won’t listen.

There are some days (or weeks) when it feels like the world is coming at you hard and there’s nothing you can do about it. Life can be messy. I had a day like that just last week. So how do you power through when everything is a priority, but…

If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “I shouldn’t complain to you,” I could probably fund my own research grant. It usually happens right after someone shares something stressful, such as their work drama, tough dental work, or a recent bad infection, and then suddenly they remember…

In 2018, when Nell Choi was 9 years old, she began experiencing symptoms that led to hospitalization and a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), type positive. A month later, when Nell came home, she was weak, in a wheelchair, and had lost 20 pounds. To…

I’ve been a list builder for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid, I found comfort in writing things down, mapping out what needed to be done, and crossing items off one by one. Lists gave me structure. They still do. I like to stay busy, not…

Ever get that quiet, nagging sense that something in your body just isn’t right? For me, it started with extra trips to the bathroom — nothing dramatic, just enough to make me pause. Before long, I realized I was dealing with yet another bladder infection. Living with a rare autoimmune…

Nearly a third of people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) may have cognitive impairment, especially in the areas of attention/processing speed and executive function, according to a study in Brazil. Processing speed refers to a person’s ability to receive, interpret, and respond to information, while executive function refers…

Pain is received differently by everyone, but I believe most people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) develop an unusually high tolerance. Once we adjust to a new normal, we find ways to exist inside it, ways of holding ourselves, bracing ourselves, and moving through the world that help…

It was one of those stressful moments when I simply did what needed to be done. My mother had been visiting us in the city for a couple of weeks, and I was sending her home on the train. Parking here in downtown Toronto is nearly impossible, so my husband…

It’s unusual for Toronto to be hit by two massive snowfalls in one week, shutting down the city and giving kids rare snow days. As a lifelong Canadian, I’m no stranger to snow, although I’m usually fortunate enough to avoid anything major. The downtown skyscrapers in Toronto usually shield us…