This year was supposed to be my high school class ten-year reunion, but due to reasons you are familiar with, the event was postponed. Although unable to physically gather with friends and acquaintances, I did take a walk down memory lane.
Needless to say, I was feeling nostalgic but moreover, I couldn’t help but think how far I have come in my journey with MG. I was really sick in high school. Not as sick as I was in middle school, but it was no easy feat. It was a grind to make it to graduation, but I did. Sometimes when I come down with the common cold or the sniffles (kind of like I am right now), I am bulldozed by its influence on my body, leaving me incredibly weak and fatigued. To think that state of being was my every day, “my normal” for so long, always seems to surprise me, but it just goes to show the value of inner strength and determination (and conventional medicine).
My time in quarantine has been spent reminiscing on a lot of things. What once was, or how things used to be. It’s easy to get caught up in longing for features of the past, but I am the type of person that likes to look at life with the glass half full. While we can’t change the mishaps or mistakes of yesterday, we can learn from them. These last ten years have been a rollercoaster, and not just for me but for all of us. Take a look at the healthcare industry for example. So much has happened in a decade, both positive and negative. As 2020 wraps up, I am expressing gratitude for all that was and is good, and finding clarity in the things that weren’t. In case you need a little reminder, here is a list of a few historical triumphs and tribulations we in America have experienced:
In 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Sometimes referred to as “Obamacare,” the law’s main goal was and still is to expand and provide affordable health insurance.
The opioid crisis was at an all-time high from approximately 2010-2017 and Missouri was no stranger to the epidemic. The rise in overdose deaths was mainly characterized by heroin or synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) was developed in 2012. The medication is a preventative measure taken for those who are at risk of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use and has been shown to be highly effective.
The latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published on May 8th, 2013. The manual was due for a revision as the prior edition was published in 1994.
The Ice Bucket Challenge became a national phenomenon in 2014 to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease that affects the brain’s nerve cells and spinal cord. People all across the country donated more than $100 million to the ALS organization, sparking a vast interest in neuromuscular disease research.
Since November 4th, 2020, 36 states have approved measures to regulate medical cannabis. Conditions in which medical marijuana has been used in the past are Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Pain, Crohn’s disease, and Fibromyalgia to name a few.
To date, there have been a total of 14,823,129 COVID-19 cases in the United States and 282,785 deaths in our country. The numbers continue to rise as we went enter 2021.
These are just some of the remarkable events that have happened in healthcare over the last decade in the United States. As you can see, we’ve stumbled, succeeded, failed, prevailed, and made history for better or for worse. How have the last ten years in healthcare impacted your life? 2020 is coming to an end and I know many people are looking forward to a fresh, healthy start.
#MGA #MyastheniaGravisAssociation #MGADigest #MGStrong #MyastheniaGravis #ChronicIllness #RareDisease #AutoimmuneDisease #NeuromuscularDisease #healthcare #UShealthcare
This blog post was written by Meridith O'Connor, St. Louis Program Coordinator of the Myasthenia Gravis Association.