Embrace the Journey: Write Your Stories

Me and sister  Penni on fun trip 

Just when I thought I had explored all therapies I might need for managing MS, I found another one. This one is memoir writing.  When I started blogging, I thought the blog would be like doing a memoir. I had no idea there is an entire genre of literature on memoirs! I joined a memoir writing class, got started writing, and love it! I go deeper into my psyche and find stuff I think might be useful to others doing this MS journey.

Connie Donaldson, our teacher  got us started. The group was small so we wrote, we read what we wrote to the group and got feedback. It was very instructive and fun. Connie taught us about including dialogue, setting the scene, developing characters, building to a climax  and take aways. My  biggest take aways for the class were to include dialogue and include a take away. That is different from blogging.

We are challenged to determine a theme for our memoir. This is to prevent rambling and getting lost in the stories. My theme is very straightforward. I want to focus on my MS journey. In writing one of the early assignments, it struck me that I was writing about what I always considered to be the genesis of this MS disease. Some excerpts from this story will help clarify the difference in "memoir writing" and "blogging". When I wrote this particular moment, I was struck with the idea of memoir as a "therapy".

The excerpt:

How can this be? I thought it was just a bad cold! Yes, I was tired, but I thought that was a result of long hours working on the Senior Play. I think I have really messed up this time. I have been quarantined! This room is cold, sterile, and lonely. "Mama, what did Dr. Norton say is wrong with me?" She said, " The throat culture came back identifying Mononucleosis. He says it is highly contagious so that's why you are are quarantined." I said, "But, Mama! How can that be? What is mononucleosis and how did I get it?" Mama said, "All I know is it's commonly called the "kissing disease". It makes you very tired and feel fatigued all the time. 

Little did I know how sick I would get and how very bad I had messed up. It was Spring semester, Senior year High School. I missed all the special activities only seniors get to do. After going home from the hospital, I was too sick to care about anything. I was pretty sure I would die! I couldn't eat anything. My tonsils were almost swollen shut. I used a mirror to check them everyday to look for improvement. It felt like a month before I noticed a tiny bit of  improvement. During that time, I was taking mega doses of Penicillin until I developed a horrible allergic reaction. I broke out in huge hives all over my body. Dr. Norton switched to another antibiotic that luckily, began to work. Very slowly I began to get better. I  graduated High School, but don't remember going to the ceremony.

While the literature on multiple sclerosis says there are no known causes for the disease, there are some clues that make me think, this episode is the culprit. Research on causes of MS notes that there is a link to having a severe illness in childhood. I never had anything to rival this "mono" illness either before or after. I also think the mega doses of antibiotics I had to take for weeks on end contributed to my immune system being compromised. After I got well enough to resume normal activity, I remember thinking that good health trumps everything.  That's when I made a pact with myself to do all I can to stay healthy to keep everything working.

Memoir writing versus blogging

I was not familiar with the Memoir as a specific genre before taking this class. I am intrigued with the idea of writing my story this way in addition to continuing the blog. I think there is therapy for me in both modes. I did a Toastmasters speech on the memoir. I compared and contrasted memoir writing to blogging. Toastmasters were interested in the memoir concept. That's when I decided to do a blog post about it.

With the memoir genre, I can capture specific incidents that  that have had a profound impact on me. I will share the struggle I had with taking the Avonex shots once a week. I can reflect on how I have come to understand how my body responds to heat and different kinds of heat. I will write stories about experiences I have had learning to cope with daily stress and generally manage myself. All these writings can be in a creative style with characters, humor, scenes and plot. It's another journey and another therapy. 

The blog, on the other hand, captures my journey with MS through the many things I have learned about the disease and how to manage the disease. I see the blog as more analytical with a mission to help anyone trying to cope with the daily challenges that come with the disease. I have found therapies that work for me. I'll continue to share my progress as well as setbacks. What keeps me going with the blog is the occasional comment I get from a friend who reads my blog. As long as I'm learning and enjoying writing the blog, I'll continue doing it. I do love to pass along  anything I find useful.