Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Hey, Brie...

That’s my filler phrase at home.  It is the way I start a lot of conversations at home, hoping to grab my wife’s attention for my question, idea, thought, or conversation starter.  I think that she is starting to cringe every time she hears “Hey, Brie” because she knows what is coming next.  Something to do with MS.

      Hey, Brie…

  •         Do you think I need to call my doctor about (fill in the MS Ailment)?       
  •         I have another appointment tomorrow for (fill in the MS ailment)…       
  •         My tests came back.
  •         I need more tests.
  •         I’m starting my new drugs tomorrow.
  •         Today is a bad day.
  •         Today was a good day.


Sometimes it gets to the point that every conversation is about MS.  Ailments, treatments, appointments,… it never ends.  When we go out a lot, we’re with other MS friends or at an MS-related event or we’re just with friends who want (or get) an update on my MS.

There comes that point in my life, usually once every year or two, where I realize that EVERYTHING is about MS!  It’s a shame because I love a lot of the things that we do because of MS:
       ·         The camaraderie and friendship from our MS support networks.
       ·         The accomplishment and excitement of our MS fundraising efforts (GO TEAM AMULET!)
       ·         The excitement I feel when I am part of an effort that will end this disease forever.

It’s a shame because I love all the aspects of MS support but I absolutely hate MS.  Brie gets all the issues we live through, plus she gets my thoughts about everything.  Still she supports me and the whole MS community (on the board of the NMSS Oregon Chapter and leading our BikeMS team every year).

I think that she’s getting gun-shy whenever I say “Hey, Brie…”.  She unfortunately knows where the conversation is headed.

Not this time.  As we putter through our daily routine and clean up from dinner, I come up behind my wife.  “Hey, Brie” I say as a wrap my arms around her waist.  “I Love You”

For a moment, MS takes a backseat to life….

For just a moment.

“Hey, Brie – I just wrote another story for the MS blog site.  Can you proofread it?”

Kevin Byrne - Portland, OR