One year. . .

I spent today getting my 4th Ocrevus infusion of 2019 – two half doses plus two full doses. Just over a year ago, I had no idea what lay ahead after receiving the Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis on December 1. For those who are interested this will be a brief update.

A year ago, I was hopeful that the numbness and weakness in my legs and hands would improve or even go away with treatment and time. Today, my physical limitations remain stable, meaning there has been very little change from where I was a year ago. I saw my neurologist today and his battery of tests confirmed that I’m able to do about the same as I did last year.

A year ago, I had a lot of anxiety about the future. In about 5 months, I had gone from being able to walk all over Seattle with my family, to hardly being able to walk enough to do our weekly grocery shopping. I worried that the disease would progress in the same manner and I’d lose more independence. I worried I wouldn’t be able to drive or I wouldn’t be able to work. Today, I’m thankful that the Disease Modifying Treatment (DMT) I’m on is doing what it’s supposed to do. Ocrevus has stopped the progression. I still wonder what the future holds but I am confident this treatment will hold things stable for now.

A year ago, I had no idea what was ahead. I prayed and trusted in the prayers of others when my faith was small. And I did the only thing I have ever known to do in the face of adversity, I survived each day, one day at a time, one step at a time. Now I can look back at a year and be thankful I made it this far. Not through my strength alone, but through the strength of my friends and family and the strength God graced me with. Today, I’m smarter and not as anxious. Today, I can stand on a year survived and look forward to what lies ahead.

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and loved me over the past year. I would not be here today without those things. I’m not sure what the future for this blog will be. I am rethinking many things in my life, including this blog for 2020. Please watch for an announcement as I figure things out. Mostly, I want everyone to remember this. . .

For I am convinced that neither life or death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither life nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)