My friend Meg burst onto the MS blogging scene in 2013, not with a whimper but a bang. She calls her website BBHwithMS.com, where BBH stands for Boobs, Boots, and Hair. Although most of us write cautiously, being careful not to offend, Meg writes courageously, as if to say, “Don’t like my blog? Well, nobody’s making you read it.”

Her blunt, honest style won her a dedicated following almost immediately. Then, just to make things more interesting, she became an advocate for the use of cannabis in treating MS symptoms. She and her husband are growing their own plants and hope to help others find relief using MMJ by sharing what she has learned. She’s begun to do speaking engagements about her experiences with the plant and its medicinal properties and is eager to continue to educate people. This is such a timely topic, and she writes so well, that her blog has gone viral.

Like me, Meg decided to put her story out there in the form of a memoir. I ordered the Kindle version and read it in two days. I wouldn’t have taken so long except that people interrupted me and insisted I eat Thanksgiving dinner with them and then socialize afterward.

In her memoir, Meg uses that same, refreshing voice from her blog to tell her emotionally gripping account of motherhood, marriage, and chronic disease. Meg’s writing style pulls the reader into her narrative. By the end, you will feel you have made a new friend, someone you can root for, someone who deserves happiness.

As a fellow multiple sclerosis suffer, I identified with so many of her challenges: the trauma of diagnosis, the awkwardness of disclosure, the disappointments of ineffective treatments, and the singular drive to fight back and remain independent. Ironically, as implied in the title of her book, Meg employs a Segway device, which was invented by Dean Kamen based on what he had learned in developing the iBOT wheelchair that I’m so fond of.

I recommend Meg’s book not only for those confronted by chronic illness, but for anyone facing a life-altering challenge. You will empathize with her losses and appreciate and marvel at her determination. I couldn’t put this book down. You won’t be able to either.

Click here to purchase the print or electronic versions of SEGWAY INTO MY NEW LIFE: A Story of Diagnosis, by Meg Lewellyn.