Life can be tough but I've been re-wired to handle the hard stuff. I was born a very emotional person. That was before I come down with myasthenia gravis. Living with an incurable and debilitating disease can make you feel a number of different things - denial, anger, apathy, regret, sadness, resentment, without religion and worst of all, alone. I've felt them all. During the short time that I endured MG, God instilled in me the determination, the passion and the strength needed to overcome my own personal and emotional demons, so that I can contribute in a meaningful and significant way to putting an end to this and other autoimmune diseases.
Before the disease, I never realized I had placed limitations on my potential to do great things. Becoming sick and losing the life that you always take for granted makes one realize how lucky we all are to be able to wake up, just get out of bed and tell someone you love them. During my remission, whether it be another year or the rest of my life, I know that I can do something to save a life.... maybe even many. MG affects so few, yet so many and MG can be fatal. If you took all of the MG patients in the US and put them in a football stadium, they would likely fill every seat. Those who have not yet been diagnosed would fill another three stadiums. Yet, MG is the most understood autoimmune disease and there is a vaccine in development. Why have we not yet wiped out MG? It's because of money and lack of knowledge and support. A cure for MG will lead to a cure for other autoimmune diseases, such as ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease.
No, I don't exactly have all of the answers. I don't have the cure (but I know who does, http://www.curavac.com/.) God has seen fit to leave that up to more qualified people. What I do have is time, wonderful, love-filled, awesome and breathFULL time. Time to share myself with family and friends. Time to devote myself to strangers with myasthenia. Time to pray for patients with Lou Gehrig's disease (but for them, time is running out). Time to talk to doctors and nurses to educate them so they can be ready when the next patient comes through that door. Most of all, time to make a difference.
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