We posted our first Life with Multiple Sclerosis blog. At the time, I had just returned from a winter in Ireland, an experience I later wove into my memoir, Vlogger Faire Chef Interrupted. I had been hosting monthly webcasts for a Seattle-based health website, and someone thought it was a good idea to ask me to write a blog.
‘What’s a Blog?’
My answer now rather infamously was, “Sure! What’s a blog?” There are more than a few who might say that ten years on, I still don’t know what I’m doing … but our community has grown and thrived despite that. I thought it appropriate for the occasion to call out some of the many people who have helped bring this blog to life. You have become used to seeing a finished product over these years, but trust me when many people go into this space when I say that much work.
Many Invisible Hands
First, our new executive managing editor, Rose, issued that fateful invitation to write this thing. Rose and I are the only two left from the migration of that Seattle team to Everyday Health. She has been a confidant, a mentor, and an occasional dining partner. Rose has helped me understand our community’s role in the bigger picture at Everyday Health and has ensured that Everyday Health knows how important you are to them.
Our producer of MS webcasts at the time, Carolyn, introduced me to the broader multiple sclerosis (MS) world and then to Rose. Who would have thought that (what was supposed to be) a short interview about the MS drug I was taking would pan out like this?
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The first editor of our blog (and the first time I’d ever had an editor) was Pixy. That wasn’t her real name. To everyone else, she’s Natalie, but something about her brought that nickname to mind, and it stuck. Thankfully, Pixy didn’t mind. She helped me understand Web concepts I’d never heard of before and was at the helm during some of our busiest (and most difficult) times during the CCSVI mess.
Over the years, several folks have taken my raw articles and put a coat of polish on them. All the while, they have also been kind enough to offer topic suggestions, writing advice, and moral support when I felt like writing another 500 words about MS was going to drive me mental Planet Reporter. I will also say that the folks on the business side — from the publishers to those in PR and development — have always looked upon our community as an important part of Everyday Health.
The Wind Beneath My Wings
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t call attention to the woman who has to hear about my blog ideas before I even sit down to type them. My wife, Caryn, entered a world that knew more about her new boyfriend than she had learned. Though she has not met most of you, she is familiar to thousands of people worldwide as my wife, partner, and caregiver. She likely understands her role as such better than I do.
She has shared the physical and fiscal burdens that MS has placed on my body, my psyche, and our relationship. When we met, she did not know much about multiple sclerosis, but she educated herself, enlightened her family, and empowered us both. With a grace that I have yet to attain, she seems to know how to gently nudge when appropriate, brace for an inevitable fall (actual or symbolic), or turn her head to hide the tears I know she must occasionally shed.
