Joyful Sorrow – a Column by Kristin Neva

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

January 23, 2020January 21, 2020

We Need Allies to Fight This War

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

My son pointed to a plastic army man on the ottoman. “That guy is a sniper,” he said. “He’s taking everyone out.” He placed a soldier on top of ... Read more

January 16, 2020January 14, 2020

I’m Channeling My Grief About ALS into Action and Advocacy

Columns, Joyful Sorrow - a Column by Kristin Neva

The grief that accompanies ALS is multifaceted. I grieve my husband’s loss of function and the loss of our dreams. Just when we find a new normal, there is ... Read more