What went through your mind when you were diagnosed with RRMS back in 1994?
I didn’t really know too much about MS at the time. I’m not sure if I had even heard of it, so didn’t know what to think. The diagnosing neurologist said, “you have a mild case of MS.” I was young and carefree at the time and didn’t really worry about it too much. I kind of just went on with life.
It looks like you’ve done a lot of work on your house to make it handicap accessible. What are some tips and tricks you can share with the community?
I would say that everyone’s needs are different. It’s a good idea to have an occupational therapist that is experienced in doing home safety and accessibility evaluations come work with you in your home to see what your abilities and limitations are so he or she can make proper recommendations. I advise that people not wait until modifications are absolutely necessary before making them. I’ve been guilty of that in many regards, including waiting too long to get a power wheelchair. I should have gotten one sooner. It would have expanded my ability to go places and do things.
I was getting in home PT 3 days a week for a few months after suffering a seizure that prevented me from driving for several months. The PT is of course not a cure for MS, but it does provide exercises and strength training options that can help you maintain some abilities. When you’re sitting in a wheelchair all day, I think you can lose some function not just from the MS, but also from being sedentary, so it’s important to exercise.
Can you tell us about your daily meal set-up?
Your photoblog takes viewers through a day in your life – what inspired you to give back to others and raise awareness for MS?
I’ve been a long time volunteer with both the National MS Society and the Myelin Repair Foundation. I had never really done much volunteer work prior to my MS diagnosis. After I stopped working full time I didn’t really do much of anything productive with my time. It was actually a girlfriend who suggested contacting the MS Society to see if they had volunteer work I could do. They did, and I caught the volunteerism bug. I would recommend it to anyone. I often say that doing volunteer work is as beneficial and rewarding to the volunteer as it hopefully is to the people you’re volunteering to help.
I guess I’m kind of an open guy. After meeting Ted (the photographer) I felt comfortable with him and trusted him. I decided pretty much right away that I was going to be all in on this project. I figured if you’re going to do something, do it right. We hoped to have an impact with the photo essay, and only being half in so to speak wouldn’t do the job. I didn’t really do anything other than let someone take pictures of me doing things I normally do. I know Ted was amazed at how open I was. I didn’t really feel like I was doing anything all that amazing.
Photos courtesy of TGoldmanPhotography.com