A Note from the Author

Dear Readers,

On a warm, dreary August day in 1979, I learned I had MS. I remember that day vividly. I remember what I wore, where I parked the car, how the drizzling rain helped hide the tears welling up in my eyes and how my husband and I held each other after I told him.

At first I was relieved that there was a name for my minor, but ever present complaints; numbness and tingling up and down my spine, clumsy fingers, and an inability to run after the kids as fast as I used to. Then reality hit and the fear took over. What about the future? How would MS change me and the life my husband and I shared? How would the illness affect our children, Jamie, age 5, Andy, age 3?

A lot has happened since my diagnosis. The disease has left me with no use of my legs and dominant right arm. My weakened left hand can't even turn a doorknob or squeeze a tube of toothpaste. But despite all that, I'm happier now than I have ever been before and I live a remarkably unlimited life.

If you wonder how that can be, let me try to explain. I think one of the reasons is that I've always been a lifelong problem solver. Each time I face a problem, like dressing myself independently, I take it on as a personal challenge. Even today, I look at obstacles and inabilities as problems waiting for a solution. After years of all sorts of personal and professional challenges, I've discovered I'm pretty creative and resourceful. There are not many things I "can't" do.

This book is filled with tips, techniques, and shortcuts I learned from my own personal experience and from the people around me. Whether people were recovering from surgery, had chronic back problems, were pregnant, or just feeling the effects of the aging process, everyone has his or her own ways of consolidating and streamlining simple everyday tasks. I became a keen observer of how other people did things.

About twelve years ago, I began writing down my own personal tips and those I observed from other people. My nationally syndicated Making Life Easier column is the result of years of problem solving. The column appears in newspapers and magazines around the country, including Inside MS and Real Living with Multiple Sclerosis.

When you live with a chronic illness like MS, it can be hard to predict good days and bad, let alone the future. I hope these tips help you increase the number of good days you have and encourage you to develop your own techniques for Making Life Easier. I am convinced that finding ways to adapt, modify, and simplify your life will give you the greatest opportunity to be happy and enjoy each day to the fullest.

Sincerely,

P.S. I'd love to hear from you and learn how you're Making Life Easier. Please send your tips to me % Shelley Peterman Schwarz, 9042 Aspen Grove Lane, Madison, WI 53717, or you can e-mail them to help@MakingLifeEasier.com.