Columns

“Kristin, if you can’t choose joy for yourself, then do it so Todd’s remaining days and years won’t be miserable,” I wrote in my journal a month after my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS. “Do it so your kids can see how to live well, so they…

Ever since I was diagnosed with ALS in 2010, I’ve become sensitive to how ALS is represented in the movies. And I’ll admit to voicing my opinion about the topic in several of my past columns. So you can imagine my glee and pride when, six months…

As I left our house to get the kids from school, the tree was gone. A contractor’s crew was removing brush from the ditch with an excavator to extend the culvert that passed under our driveway. My husband, Todd, had specifically asked that the poplar tree be left alone. I…

I’m all in when it comes to celebrating milestones, and as many of my readers know, I’m a glass-half-full person. So when June arrived, I didn’t have to look far for my first reason to celebrate. Happy 5 years to me! This month, I’m celebrating the five-year milestone of…

Every Memorial Day, I go with my mom, daughter, and son to the Lakeside Cemetery in Hancock, Michigan, to attend a ceremony honoring veterans. I drive separately in case I need to return home quickly to help my husband, Todd, who has ALS. The ceremony ends with the…

Last week, my husband, Todd, considered canceling a dentist appointment to get a crown placed over a broken tooth. “Is it really necessary?” he asked. “What’s left of this tooth will probably last me for the rest of my life.” Todd has had ALS for nearly 12 years, far exceeding…

“What’s the buzz? Tell me what’s a-happening, Why should you want to know? Don’t you mind about the future? Don’t you try to think ahead? Save tomorrow for tomorrow, Think about today instead.” — Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, “What’s the Buzz,” from the rock opera “Jesus Christ…

I use many strategies to keep myself engaged in life and avoid getting pulled down mentally by my ALS. Being a “go-along” is one of those strategies, and it’s a perfect partner to showing up. But being a go-along — that is, accompanying my husband on his various errands…

A couple weeks ago, when my husband, Todd, told me he wasn’t going to attend our kids’ end-of-the-year events at school — including our son’s band concert and our daughter’s choir concert and dance recital — it was a reality check for me about where we are in this ALS…

My week has been full of projects, online responsibilities, physical activities, minicelebrations, and, oh yes, living with ALS. And while we ALS patients often complain that having our disease is a 24/7 challenge with no days off, I’ve found a way to give myself a mental break and enjoy…