The Beginner's Guide to Walking — Jennifer van Amerom

I’ve been so exhausted before that I’ve said, “No one will know if I leave the kitchen looking like this.” Dirty dishes will be piled up in the sink, while clean dishes are still in the dishwasher. A sticky…

At one point in my life, I thought I wanted to be a flight attendant. As a first-generation Canadian, my parents, who immigrated here in 1968, told me stories of foreign countries and the people, the unique food, and…

My mom was incredibly angry with me, and rightfully so, the day I lost my retainer. We fed four kids on one income, yet somehow afforded braces and then a retainer, which I was supposed to wear all the…

It rained the day before and after, but on the day we buried Dad, the overcast weather parted for a picturesque blue sky, complete with rolling white clouds. For mid-April, it could’ve been a cold, miserable day, matching…

I have a theory: I’m convinced you can scream (almost) anything at a baseball game. The more obscure the cheer, the greater it is. “You call that peanut butter?!” “Turn ’em upside down!” “Let’s go, captain! Take ’em out…

When I walk through the doors of Satay Sate, a local Indonesian restaurant, the aromas that hit me instantly remind me of my childhood. I first ventured there after my dad died, and I was brought to tears at…

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, I thought Dad’s 28-foot boat…

“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 woman, I’m being asked to…

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 the nurse had done it.

“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 to turn it into a…

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 (NMO) at the age of…

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 ambassadors for her nonprofit organization,…