Columns

On a snowy morning three years ago, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, my late husband, Jeff, sped the entire length of the University of Michigan football field in his blue power wheelchair. Light snow was falling as his brothers and I watched him fly down the field, a…

My husband, Todd, and I enjoy watching chickadees flit from a feeder that hangs from a mountain ash tree behind our house to one of the branches, where they crack the shells and eat the sunflower seeds. “Let Comet out,” Todd told me one morning. “There’s a squirrel in the…

On the ski trail the other afternoon, I was feeling discouraged. I hadn’t slept well the previous couple of nights and had a low-grade headache, but I willed myself to keep going. Exercise is good for my body, and being in nature usually soothes my mind. They’re two of…

In a recent column, I described how I panicked following my ALS diagnosis. With the prognosis of having only two to three years to live, suddenly there weren’t enough hours in the day to do what I wanted to do. My mind hyperventilated with seemingly endless thought…

When I was in my early teens, I was awakened by what sounded like a rushing wind, followed by the inability to move any part of my body. It was a frightening sensation, and worse was the feeling of someone standing over me with the notion of harming me. I…

While in town the other day, I ran into an old friend. My husband, Todd, and I had gotten to know her and her husband when they first started attending our church. We had invited them over for dinner along with a few other families. Then we met weekly with…

I enjoy reading motivational blogs written by people from all walks of life outside the ALS community. What they write not only inspires me, but also gives me lots of new ideas. However, one recent blog post had me fuming. The author described how she was transforming her life…

Today I had a mammogram. We have a family history of certain cancers, so I’m careful to get recommended screenings. After losing my husband, Jeff, to ALS, I feel a bittersweet commitment to taking care of myself as he would want. Looking after my health after he’s gone,…

Thinking of gift ideas for my husband, Todd, has always been a challenge — especially since he’s been paralyzed by ALS. Some of my gifts to him haven’t gotten much use, like a heated jacket that he found too hot. He used it a couple times when we went…

Is anyone else feeling winter-bluesy-cabin-feverish? I know I am. I’ve been feeling that way for the past couple days. It always happens to me at this time of year, and because I live with ALS, it’s especially challenging. I blame my off-kilter mood on February, with its dark mornings…