The Beginner's Guide to Walking — Jennifer V.

It didn’t start as a windy day. The sun beaming down on my face felt oh so good. Spending time on the water with my family was one of my favorite activities. At first,…

“Can you walk down the hall for me, please?” My specialist, with a stern look on her face, waits patiently. “And back again toward me now.” It feels so ridiculous that, as a 40-year-old…

I never imagined that a nurse would slap me across my face, but it happened. The slap wasn’t hard — it was just enough to jolt me back to reality, and I was grateful…

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the MRI, all the way from the changing room, the one and only …” I’ve sauntered into the room and grabbed the finger heart rate monitor, only…

We cannot separate science from life. Trust me, I’ve tried. Like most young people, I once thought of myself as invincible. So I was absolutely stunned when I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica…

I have never met Sumaira Ahmed in person, but her energy and passion radiate through computer screens and phone calls. It’s what convinced many of us to follow her charge and become…

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” — Popular proverb I once slipped on black ice at the end of our street. My handbag, its contents, and my cellphone flew just outside of arm’s reach.

The daily grind of ingesting pills for my neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder can be very disheartening. There is medication for my nerve pain, to combat the fatigue, to manage the overall pain, to help…

For the first 10 years after I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), I chose to keep my condition private because I worried about how others might perceive me. But over the past…

Feeling misunderstood is one of the biggest challenges I face with neuromyelitis optica (NMO). This week, we took our daughter sledding with a couple of friends. Sledding is a Canadian rite of passage, though…

Most nights, I can’t wait to go to bed. I’ll rush through my bedtime routine, but even though I’m beyond exhausted, I can’t seem to fall asleep. It secretly irks me to be the…

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) isn’t all bad. Hear me out. Sure, the needles, pain, and endless worry about permanent paralysis and vision loss are no fun, but there’s a silver lining if you know where…