Any time that I run into a friend or business associate, they are sure to ask, "How is Jeanne?" In the past, my response was an automatic "Fine!". But at that time, Jeanne wasn't fine. Her MS symptoms were progressing at what I've been told was a rapid pace. But none of our friends really knew. The reason? My instant and repeated pronouncements of "Fine!". Realizing that this was not the way to keep those people in our lives engaged and connected with our battle against MS, I determined to answer all pro forma inquiries about Jeanne with a true response...an honest reflection of her situation at that particular time.
Choosing this path requires that I think about Jeanne's current condition every time that someone inquires. And, making this conscious consideration each day, I've realized that Jeanne has been pretty stable for the past several months. Of course, I wish her "baseline" were higher. I wish she were more functional. But after years of watching her slip and slide downhill, I am extraordinarily happy that her condition has at least stabilized for a while.
Sometimes, as in Jeanne's case, "winning" can be defined simply as "not losing."
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