Living

From my experience, hospitalizations and NMO go hand-in-hand. My relapses never seem to happen during “normal business hours," so my neurologist often advises me to seek medical treatment through the...

One of the most common symptoms we, women living with NMO, suffer from is recurrent UTIs (unitary tract infections) due to many reasons. Whether an overactive bladder, bladder retention, or...

Editor's note: To read part five of Dan's story, click on this link. The year was 2017 and it had already started with a not so please try bang. There...

Editor's note: This article is part of a multi-part series. To read part one, please follow this link. Mentally, I was exhausted. I was only 19, I loved my life...

I had just turned 19 two weeks earlier and was working as a soft playworker at my new childcare job. On the 9th of August 2021, unexpectedly I developed a...

I just need to vent. I need to speak my truth and say out loud what’s building up inside of me to anyone willing to listen. So here it goes...

Editor's note: To read part four of Dan's story, click on this link. This was the year that things would shape up in my life. I was working again and...

You know that part of the wedding ceremony when you hear “in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part”? For those of us...

Let's revisit where we left off: My vision had been diminished by an attack, after four months my disability insurance through my employer was over, and I said that I...

I have always been a mover. Sitting still for too long makes me antsy. Even before I was diagnosed with NMO, I had other illnesses that caused disability, but I...

I was on top of the world and was really growing as a person. I thought I beat the fear I was experiencing and believed this disease was on a...

Fear can be your worst enemy and can destroy everything around you. It can make you choose some choices that aren't in your best interests. Fear can make you act...

Being a person of color in the United States, particularly a black woman, I'm very familiar with being treated differently. It's unfortunate, but that's the hard truth. This is the reality...

I'm moving into the second year of my NMO diagnosis. It may seem like it was a long time ago to everyone around me. I, on the other hand, feel...

One of the first steps in managing your NMO is assembling the best healthcare team for you. Having the support of friends, family, and significant others can be beneficial in...

Throughout this process of living with NMO, mental health has been like the silent elephant in the house for my family. As a mother of two young boys, a wife...

There are a ton of things that I was attached to before I had an NMO attack. I was a person who would dress up, wear heels, and strut my...

I'm an 80s baby. You know, the era of cool kids? Kidding. I remember when my dad came home with clunky equipment one day. As soon as I saw it...

"When I go to the hospital I have to keep in mind that NMO although is becoming more recognized, it is still rare and not everyone, including doctors, are aware...

Dear NMO, I’m wondering why I was chosen to be a victim of such a horrific disease. I know I’m a strong person, both mentally and physically. But I’m tired...