Joyful Sorrow – a Column by Kristin Neva

April 2, 2020April 3, 2020

We’ve Adapted Before, and We’ll Adapt Again

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

Since my husband was diagnosed with ALS a decade ago, we’ve adapted to this difficult life in ways I never would have expected. After leaving rural Michigan for college ... Read more

March 26, 2020March 24, 2020

7 Ways Life with ALS Is Similar to Life During a Pandemic

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

When someone asked my husband how he is doing in light of COVID-19, Todd replied, “Our life isn’t that much different. Now everyone else is dealing with what we ... Read more

March 19, 2020March 18, 2020

Making Peace with the Waves of Emotion that Come with ALS

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

After my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS, we battened down the hatches to prepare for the coming storm. We moved to be near family in the Keweenaw Peninsula, ... Read more

March 12, 2020March 10, 2020

Appreciating My Partner

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

My 14-year-old daughter woke me up at 4:45 a.m. “Do you hear that?” “Hear what?” I asked groggily. “You don’t hear anything?” Panic rose in Sara’s voice. “No.” I ... Read more

March 5, 2020March 3, 2020

Living Life While Taking Precautions

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

After three weeks of my husband, Todd, being cloistered in our home with a cold, we ventured out Saturday for Michigan Tech’s last home hockey game of the season. ... Read more

February 27, 2020March 2, 2020

ALS Is Rare, but My Husband Is Part of a Broader Rare Community

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

I didn’t react when a spine care specialist mentioned ALS as a possible cause of my husband’s weak arm, because I didn’t know what ALS was. Todd and I ... Read more

February 20, 2020February 21, 2020

5 Ways to Help Kids Cope with a Parent’s ALS

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

One of my biggest concerns is how my husband’s ALS will affect our children. They were both under 5 when Todd was diagnosed and while they are growing up, ... Read more

February 13, 2020February 11, 2020

3 Ways ALS Has Changed Me

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago, before my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS. The brutal reality of the disease has changed me in three ... Read more

February 6, 2020February 4, 2020

I Am Savoring Our Limited Time as a Family

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

A month after my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS, I wrote in my journal: “Squeezing in memories is bittersweet. Last weekend, we took Sara and Isaac to the ... Read more

January 30, 2020January 28, 2020

The Circle of Life from Motherhood to Caregiving

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

I thought my days of obsessively avoiding germs and examining poop would be over once my babies grew, but such is the circle of life now that my husband ... Read more