Fate will always have something up its sleeve for each of us. In one moment, we can be the happiest people on earth, and the next, it could change our lives in an instant. These life-changing events can be positive, but most people experience negative outcomes. For people who are chronically ill, their fate seems to be a series of unfortunate events. However, some of them thrive in their own ways, showing the world what they can do. One author’s take on disability will have you pondering the questions we ask people with chronic illnesses and teaches us to respond in the most appropriate way.
Released in 2018, Don’t Ask Me How I Feel-I Have MS by Stephen F. Knapp is a true-to-life account of what it is like to have a slow and painful motor function eating disability. It was a shock to Stephen when he got the news from his neurologist that he had multiple sclerosis. He was told that he was a walking time bomb, only waiting for the right time to become a nightmare for Stephen. Living with such an illness is difficult and left Stephen in the depths of denial and depression for over a year. Upon his research, he found out more about his illness and has recounted the many times he has felt the symptoms. An illness that has been waiting for 50 years to change his life.
Author Stephen F. Knapp is already 72 years old at the moment, and he has had a unique and varied life. Having three degrees from three different universities, he is well-versed in psychology, sociology, business administration, marketing, and public administration. The book was first intended to try and describe his feelings after his diagnosis. After two years of writing, he realized that his symptoms have been evident ever since he was born, thus turning his book of experience into a memoir that will best describe his life in a more detailed manner — having multiple sclerosis changed his life, losing all he had and becoming extremely depressed for five whole years. In his time of loss, he recounts that he had a lot of time to reflect and write about his experiences in a book, hoping that others who have the same disability or the same pain as him could find his book relatable, a comforting book that shows them that they are not alone.
The book is not just poignant and heartfelt; it is also raw and emotional. Readers will be immersed in how Knapp holds the words together to describe his life and make them ponder their own life, their choices, and their priorities. Don’t Ask Me How I Feel-I Have Sclerosis is a basic guide for families taking care of their disabled or chronically ill loved ones because it provides an understanding of what they feel in the bluntest but most understandable way.