The Beginner's Guide to Walking — Jennifer van Amerom

My family and I always laugh about my inability to keep plants alive. In my defense, if something isn’t hollering at me for attention or sending me email reminders, I can’t be responsible for watering it. I have never…

There’s nothing more frustrating than working hard to reach a milestone, only to be knocked down and have to start all over again. That’s what it’s like having neuromyelitis optica (NMO). My toughest days happen when I’m frustrated…

I could feel the discomfort in my throat start to build. Despite how often I cleared my throat, I couldn’t make the feeling disappear. Next, I tried a large glass of water, but the sting with every swallow confirmed…

We all want to belong, but having a rare disease can sometimes feel lonely. Thankfully, the neuromyelitis optica (NMO) community has come a long way since I was diagnosed over 13 years ago. I’ve come a long way,…

I sometimes joke that if I had served in the military, I’d win diversity bingo. As a minority woman with a disability, there are many boxes to check off on a self-disclosure form. I am self-absorbed, though, and it’s…

When was the last time you Googled your name? When I do it, I find my column here at Neuromyelitis News. My work as a post-secondary teacher is rewarding, but it’s also important to demonstrate my expertise.

It’s the middle of the night. My body has decided it is no longer comfortable. I gingerly move my limbs, hoping to find a new position to satisfy my aches and pains. Suddenly, a spot on the top of…

What do you do when you’ve run out of choices? That’s where I found myself in May 2020. After living attack-free for 10 years, I was stunned when I found myself dealing with a surprise neuromyelitis optica (NMO)…

While most of us try not to judge a book by its cover, we inevitably still do it at some point. Society has conditioned us to judge people by their physical appearance first, and then their personality. Additionally, people…

The new year can represent a new start, except it isn’t, really. I still have neuromyelitis optica (NMO), and the challenges that existed in our lives last year are still here. But what a new year can become…

The phoenix is my spirit animal. Out of the ashes it rises, and a new self is born. That’s how I felt after my neuromyelitis optica (NMO) diagnosis, and it’s how I feel every time something changes with…