Joyful Sorrow – a Column by Kristin Neva

December 5, 2019December 2, 2019

Grief Is a Wolf that Demands Attention

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

As I approached the one-year anniversary of my husband, Todd’s, ALS diagnosis, I wrote in my journal: “I want to be happy, healed, and whole again. But the grief ... Read more

November 21, 2019November 19, 2019

We’re Figuring Out Healthcare on Our Own in Rural America

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

After my husband Todd’s ALS diagnosis, he said, “We need to sell the house and move near your parents.” He anticipated that their day-to-day support in rural northern Michigan ... Read more

November 14, 2019November 12, 2019

Calculating Risks While Balancing Family Life and ALS

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

I went parasailing during a vacation in Florida 10 years ago. I talked my brother into going with me, because my husband, Todd, wasn’t feeling up to it at ... Read more

November 7, 2019November 6, 2019

Wartime Living Tests Marriages

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

Sometimes I’ll pick up a magazine in a grocery store checkout line and see a marriage article about sex or the division of household chores. I’ll sigh wistfully. Healthy ... Read more

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019

Imagining Our Lives Without ALS

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

My husband, Todd, recently asked me, “What do you think our life would be like if I hadn’t gotten ALS?” I’ve done this mental exercise before, but never with ... Read more

October 24, 2019October 22, 2019

We’ve Learned to Compartmentalize Family Life While Living with ALS

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

A few months after Todd’s diagnosis, our ALS clinic put me in touch with a woman who was further down the road that I had just begun. Similar to ... Read more

October 17, 2019October 15, 2019

Just Breathe: Dealing with Chronic Stress

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

ALS is now affecting my husband’s breathing. On occasion, Todd’s lungs fill with fluid and he needs me to give him an assisted cough, just as his physical therapist ... Read more

October 10, 2019November 13, 2019

Coming Unstuck and Reaching Beyond Ourselves

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

Before my husband, Todd, got ALS, we had minor problems, but we were full of hope. We had a small baby so I wasn’t getting much sleep, but I ... Read more

October 3, 2019October 1, 2019

Navigating ALS with Children in Tow

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

My heart ached for my kids after my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Isaac was 9 months old and Sara was 4. How would ALS ... Read more

September 26, 2019October 2, 2019

Accepting Help Is Hard, but Caregivers Need Respite

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

Being a caregiver for a spouse with ALS is a heavy load, and at some point it becomes too much for one person to handle. When ALS took from ... Read more