A couple of months ago, I received an invitation from Healthline.com to respond to the above prompt. They asked the same question of other MS

Getting a new wheelchair is not like getting a new hairdo, or a new outfit. It’s way beyond that. Getting a new wheelchair isn’t the

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 –

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

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