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This was billed as the Independence Day cruise. We would dock overnight in Halifax, Nova Scotia for Canada Day, July 1, and we would dock overnight in Boston for America’s Independence Day, July 4. Each city would feature celebrations and fireworks. I love fireworks. Not everyone feels the same way. Can someone please explain that… Continue reading Summer Cruise 2017 – Part 4 of 4 – Independence Days

The Celebrity Summit holds about 2450 passengers and 1000 crew. We often take the crew for granted. They work seven days a week for weeks on end and become a part of the ship to us. Almost invisible. On this cruise, I made an effort to connect with these individuals. We sat at the same table… Continue reading Summer Cruise 2017 – Part 3 –The Ship’s Crew

If I had known the wheelchair accessibility shortcomings of the Celebrity Summit, I would not have booked it for a cruise. That would have been unfortunate, however, because we had a great time. This was our third cruise. We found cruises #1 and #2 to be the most wheelchair accessible vacations we had ever been… Continue reading Summer Cruise 2017 – Part 2 – Accessibility Challenges Don’t Phase Us

Do not adjust your computer/tablet/phone. You read that correctly. For the second time this year we are cruisin’. In February, accompanied by my brothers and their wives, Kim and I sailed throughout the Caribbean for seven nights aboard the Celebrity Silhouette. Beginning this week, Kim and I will be sailing by ourselves (along with a few… Continue reading 2017 Disabled Cruising Again – Part 1

I am dependent but not helpless. I am left behind, but I enjoy time alone. I am fragile but not weak. I am embarrassed but not ashamed. I am disabled, but I’m not hungry, wet, cold, or abused. I don’t walk in the woods, but I still sit by the ocean. I don’t sleep well… Continue reading The Yin and Yang of MS

I’ve passed a lot of milestones in my disease progression—cane, crutches, scooter, wheelchair, disability retirement, the involvement of my upper extremities, and more. Recently, I’ve encountered another milestone—feeding myself. A couple of years ago, Kim began helping me with certain tasks like cutting my steak. Then, with the assistance of my OT Maren and my… Continue reading Eating: A Medical Necessity?

Wednesday, May 31, is World MS Day, and I have big plans. Because their readership is so much larger than mine, I’m going to hack into the Living With MS Facebook page operated by Healthline.com and take over their feed for the day. While I have the reins, I will execute my evil plan of engaging… Continue reading My Plans for World Domination on World MS Day

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 bloggers. Here is a link to our collective responses. This is what I wrote: “With MS, I’ve learned never to say there’s something I can’t live without, because that may… Continue reading When You Have MS, You Can’t Live Without…

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 same as having your bathroom redone or trading in your car. It’s not like getting a new job or taking a new lover (says the guy who married his high… Continue reading My New Wheelchair – Permobil F5 VS

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 into little containers and empty them into the nearest toilet. Straightforward stuff. But liquids have this unfortunate tendency to flow downhill, and that presents a challenge when I’m lying down in… Continue reading The Art of Peeing in Bed (on Purpose)