As significantly disabled people go, I am the exception. My bladder still works. To take advantage of that, however, requires ingenuity. During the day, I pee
The last time we flew home from the Caribbean, the airline lost both of my power wheelchairs. That memory, and the knowledge that we had
For this vacation, we decided to use Kim’s eBay earnings to see how the other side lives. We booked a wheelchair accessible suite, which is
Why do Kim and I go on elaborate, expensive vacations? Why does anyone? It can’t be that these weeklong excursions make us happy only during
In the weeks and months leading up to an elaborate vacation, I build visual models in my mind. Before this cruise, I imagined a virtual
Security It began at 4:00 am at the TSA checkpoint, Logan Airport, Boston. My brother, Andy, and his wife, Karen, zipped through without a problem.
When I received an email from a company in the UK called Stairlift Reviews, informing me that I had been named to their list of
“We don’t want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water.” — Bilbo Baggins’ response to Gandalf’s proposed
Is it something like this? Or more like this? Here’s Why I Ask Last weekend, my brothers and I and three hot chicks we hang
I don’t know if there’s ever a great time to be disabled, but there has never been a better time than now. Here are a
A dear friend sent me this five minute long inspirational video. Perhaps you saw the story when it came out a couple of years ago. Please
Fifteen years is a long time to have MS, especially one day at a time. Welcome to my annual post where I take a moment
In the picture to the right, I’m the little one, Tom is to the left, Andy is in the middle, and of course my mother…
The rule of thumb is that full-time users get a new wheelchair every five years. Let me do some quick math…holy shit, it’s time! Think
Here is a link to the article on primary progressive MS, where I am mentioned in the opening and closing paragraphs. I’m pleased that the
As a full-time wheelchair user, and someone who no longer works, I spend the better part of each day indoors, by myself. It’s not
I can still remember the questions I pondered as a child: What will my job be when I grow up? Who will I marry? (Will
Click here to read the excerpt from my book.
At the risk of over-tooting my own horn, I wanted to share with you another awesome piece of news. Bangor Metro Magazine, which services mid-coast,
I’ve always been a huge fan of Down East Magazine, widely considered the best magazine about life in Maine. No matter how bookish you may
Hope can be an effective tool to ease human suffering. In many cases, though, it’s not enough. After my diagnosis 15 years ago, I set
Three dates I’ll always remember: On October 22, 2001, I was diagnosed with MS. On July 11, 2008, I started using a wheelchair. On August
Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Happy Valley, there lived a good and honest sharecropper, his wife, and his four capable sons,
One reason I love summer is ice cream cones: soft serve, hard, even frozen yogurt. But it takes a certain amount of dexterity to eat
Screw it. I use the word disability. In fact, I just did a quick search of my book manuscript, and I found it 73 times.
In a previous blog post regarding my memoir, dated March 13, 2016, I declared “it’s done!” Oops. It wasn’t done. I sent out query letters
People are stubborn. People keep trying to establish a daily ferry service between Portland, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. People keep failing. I admit, Kim
Kate Milliken, my friend and the founder of MyCounterpane.com, invited me to be a panelist for a webinar on Wednesday, August 31, at 11 am
Like a cat with nine lives, my iBOT wheelchair keeps cheating death. For those of you not in the know, the iBOT is the most
If you have MS, your neurologist is probably your MS doctor. Poor bastard. Meet My Doctor I’ve had the same neurologist since before my diagnosis.
We have friends, Robin and Sam, who live in Providence, Rhode Island. They visit us a couple of times a year. Two weeks ago we
Before I was diagnosed, I knew something was wrong with my legs. I had been told a year earlier it might be MS, but my
Again this summer, we rented cabins at a campground and roughed it for a few days, so to speak. Kim and I had just started
Beer and I go way back. As a child – I can’t remember what age, but damn young – Dad would ask me to hand
I couldn’t decide what to get you for our 30th. Because we’re leaving in a couple days for a camping trip, flowers didn’t make sense.
Regular readers of this blog know I’m all about voice control. I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking instead of a keyboard. Click here to see what I’ve installed
People who are able to walk don’t think much about their legs, and I don’t think much about my wheelchair. My mind is occupied by
In my previous post, I demonstrated the voice-controlled automation in my home. In this post, I go into some of the details of how we
Leading a contented life with worsening disability depends, to a large extent, on problem-solving skills and resources. Can’t walk? Get a wheelchair. Difficulty holding eating
This is the news we’ve all been waiting for. A little company called Toyota will partner with DEKA to develop and manufacture the next generation
Travis was one of those kids with a gifted body and an adventurous mind. A high school football legend, he was gregarious, kind, and fun-loving.
In part one of this two-part post, I wrote about my love of handcycling, and how MS progression forced me to let it go. Never
People say you should never give up. Once in a while, however, I find that I have to let go. Last week I let go
Despite my overwhelming medical problems, I don’t exhibit any symptoms of depression. Shouldn’t I, though? I sometimes wonder if there’s something wrong with me –
If you’ve read this blog, you know the drill. I have an incurable disease. Cause unknown. There is no treatment. Fifteen years in, I require
Marco and I go way back. We met as freshmen chemical engineering students at the University of Maine in 1982 and have been close ever
I didn’t write an essay this week, so I thought I would roll out one of my favorite old posts. In this lighthearted video, I
Sleeping is a pain in my ass, literally. At least it was until a few days ago. For a big guy like me, spending 16
Everybody loves to get a good deal. Satisfaction might come from the shopping or negotiating process, or it might be the result that matters, or
The Apple Didn’t Fall, my memoir about growing up with a disabled mother only to become disabled myself, is complete at 48 chapters, 342 pages,
Click here to read the other posts in this series first. I’ve come to accept that someday I will die. Probably. Unless… no, definitely. Someday I
Can we justify physicians becoming involved in the hastening of a patient’s death? The Supreme Court of Canada thinks so. In a 2015 TED talk,
I’ve changed my terminology from physician-assisted suicide to physician-assisted dying. The latter term seems to carry less baggage. To be clear, this discussion is about
I know readers who have faced end-of-life situations in their families recently, or will be in the near future. If this topic is too near
Some years we’ve gone on exotic vacations during Kim’s February break. This year we decided to simply spend a couple of nights at a casino
Yeah, it should, because I am fat. No two ways about it. I have lots of excuses, though. First, genetics. If you lined up my
No regrets. Just a few things that would’ve made life easier if I had figured them out sooner: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When
It’s Friday night, and it’s my sister-in-law, Diane’s, birthday. My brother, Tom, and she have booked a room in downtown Portland, at the Regency Hotel
Tuned in to the local news this morning. I don’t want to hear about fatal car accidents, shootings, or the latest offensive statement to come
After my mother passed away in 2008, we began the joyless task of going through her things. We donated her hospital bed and considered doing
Once a month, at physical therapy, I have to answer a questionnaire about how well I can complete certain tasks of daily living. It’s an
It’s that time again, when I take a moment to assess what I’ve gained and lost in the past year, and what changes may await
I get it. Global warming might be the most serious threat facing humanity in the long-term: coastal cities underwater, extreme weather events, the elimination of