BALANCE

SUPPORT GROUPS is a question that pops up frequently.

 

Patti’s chronic progressive type MS was sooo different from any one else’s MS that was participating in any support groups in our area.  Additionally, I had to transport her and that required a commitment of time at the expense of something else.

 

Caregiver support groups were fewer and mirrored the uniqueness of chronic progressive MS. The Internet as an alternative enabled me to learn I was not alone, which was a fantastic feeling.

 

PLUS I had the responsibility to raise our daughter. The priorities of time were committed to her. From the time Megan was 18 months, Patti could not safely and dependably participate.  Her heart was willing but her body didn’t always work.

 

I found myself balancing Patti’s decline and raising Megan. That BALANCE became my “support group”. 

 

Balance, exchange of opposites, contentment with one’s present state of being, it’s all about ‘support’ being in the world around you. Yin-Yang found me I didn’t go looking for a philosophy. Call it Stoicism if one is into Western thinking, Taoism if Eastern ideas is more your thing. Christianity offers that God doesn’t challenge without providing the means to meet the challenges. They all really say the same thing.

 

MS is unique for every person and therefore every caregiver. Support groups were not a real option for us. Balance BECAME the support.