Hi everyone, long time, no talk - at least from me. It was summer (that is my easy answer - I have another reason for not writing for so long, but I will discuss that in a future post). I have been reading some of the posts throughout the summer and I am glad to see so many new people are writing on the site.

Merely Me talked about a song she couldn't get out of her head and one keeps going through mine since I heard it on the tv almost everyday this summer on Phineas & Ferb on the Disney  Channel. The show starts with the line "there are a 105 days of summer vacation". And by the last two weeks of summer vacation, I was ready for school to begin which it did last week.  My eldest started elementary school last week (can I be that old?) People say all the time to me to enjoy them when they are young because you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. That is so true. It is also true about MS.

With MS, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. I have said before, I am very blessed and thankful that the MS has not progressed much in these last 11 ½ years. For others, I know this has not been the case. I speak with a newly diagnosed MS patient every other week or so and every person has a different story - similar sometimes, other times not. It is so hard to accept an ability as gone. And MS takes these away sometimes overnight. For me, the abilities have always returned. But who is to say that will be the case after the next flare up?

But one thing I have realized over the years is that the "abilities" that are taken away are different for everyone with MS. For some, it may be very obvious - using a device to help with walking for example. For some, the ability may be not being able to work 15 hours a day anymore because of fatigue.  Now the latter example may not sound as critical as the first, but to the person with MS that now has to change because that ability is gone, it may be critical. I have been lucky to have no abilities taken away from me, at least in the long term. But I have so many MS friends that can't say the same.

In 18 days (eek - I was reminded of that today), I will walk 50K in the MS Society's Challenge Walk. I walk because I still can and I raise money and awareness for those who can't so that someday they'll be able to join me. Maybe we can raise the money so that these abilities that were gone can return again. (Unfortunately, first day of kindergarten is gone forever :-).