Jeannine Everett, Columnist, MSnewsChannel.com
Hi! Here's my weekly Column: My name is Jeannine and I have Multiple Sclerosis (kind of sounds like an AA meeting huh?). Anyway I was diagnosed with MS August 2000. I didn’t know what I had; I just knew I had something. I am the oldest of 3 children and was the most daring of the three. Little did anyone know, right now, I would have to be the bravest as well.
We lived in New Jersey and when I was 17 my dad got a job offer in California. Wow, all the cool people lived there of course, not really but I thought so at the time. So off we went where I started my senior year in a new school suffering culture shock! But I lived, married and had my daughter Erin (she is now 37 who has a brand new daughter and one more on the way) and eventually a son named Joe, who is now 27.
My son was still in Tucson so I moved there to be closer to him. Of course he moved first to Monterey California where his sister was and then finally touching down in Savannah Georgia (like kids do, parents move closer, and kids move further lol) so here I sit in Tucson just loving the heat (not really).
My daughter has been the one who is the most understanding with my MS illness, my son has a little bit of fear and the rest of my family would rather not hear about it. So I am not alone with this monster wishing though that the rest of the family would get onboard and if not, it doesn’t matter.
I was a good artist in my days and wanted to go to art school in California but as life happens I had children instead but it was a good thing. So digging into that art thing again has been frustrating to say the least so I looked at my house and started to pick things out that were old and started to make them new by painting things bright colors and drawing Southwestern designs on them. I also dabbled in ceramics tracing rough drafts onto plates and bowls, painting them and having them fired. Feels good to get things accomplished but don’t get me wrong, it is a week to week process depending on how hot it is or how I am feeling.
I like to not think about MS and what it has done to me because it won’t fix it nor will it make my life any better. I just try to live each day by not complaining about it when it gives me those nudges but I do SCREAM really loud with the big stuff.
Be Well
