Yoo. I’m on Year #5 and I’m 100% disabled, no healthcare. Tell you what ELSE I am, authentic AF. Since I’m so disabled now, I can run my mouth, open, honest, raw or cool, everything and everything in-between because I’m disabled. I can smoke a lil’ medicine EVERYWHERE I hang out because I have MS and folks trying to help. (YUP. Even at my *gulp*. My OG HATES it because people smoke with me! *shrugs*) I can’t be the Gangsta Dad I used to be, old school, hard on chores & strong with school because of disabilities so I’m LEARNING to actually communicate. YES GURL. I talk to the 4 kids (18, 15, 12, 8) and whoa… They actually do listen. I used to be Teacher of the Year for working with troubled, inner-city Houston kids. I was at their games beating on my chest like I was Spike Lee at the Knicks games. I wore gigs based on characters from show like Martin, charged my students weekly ‘rent’ in Avant Bucks and got faded with the homies every weekend, Tuesday and Thursday. Now, I’m a work-from-home Customer Service Representative, making 40% of what I as a teacher BUT after 4 years of NO job, NO disability, NO social security, nothing to help feed my own freaking kids, I’m proud AF of what I do. MS is going to change everything but it isn’t strong enough to kill us. We can GROW from this BS illness. There’s a freedom in disabilities/handicaps/illness because you don’t have to pretend or pacify anyone anymore. Freedom in that, real freedom. I don’t do a damn thing that I don’t want to anymore, go anywhere, pretend it’s cool to see or be anyone. Like for real Sis, *duck face*, I’m sick AF every day, all day, hurting so I worry about fighting this illness and doing ME. The more I do ME, the faster my life improves. I’ve learned so much about myself that I love myself despite the physical limitations. I didn’t love me before MS because I was always teaching, raising kids, trying to be a good husband, save money, pay bills, return texts, blah blah blah. Now? I know my purpose. I can talk about passion. I have DIFFERENT dreams but they’re soooo much bigger than before MS. #EffMS and the symptoms it rode in on. Step #1 is starting a Gratitude Journal so you can see and track your perspectives shifting to something more positive. YOU can do this. YOU can remix your strengths and build something greater than before. YOU are my Sister of the MS’ster and I absolutely believe you will do something immaculate. 🤜🏾🤛🏾🖤
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