Muscle Memoirs:
LGMD Experiences — Patrick Moeschen

I recently penned a column that took a surface look at the history of the disability movement in the United States. As many readers pointed out, my list of world changers and their…

This August will mark 40 years since I was diagnosed with what we eventually discovered was limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Though it’s taken me many years to accept my condition, it’s progressed…

Each of my writings in this column has focused on living life with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. While the mission of Bionews, the parent company of this website, includes sharing what it’s like to…

A close friend of 30 years recently asked what my life was like before I was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. When I met this man, we were both in college, studying music…

“ICE” is a widely used acronym for “in case of emergency.” In today’s fast-paced world, many people have ICE contacts on their phones and folders on their computers that tell others who to…

I’ve been married for 11 years. Before then, as I grew up with what I eventually discovered was limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, I learned a lot about life, perseverance, and relationships. During my 20s,…

In August 1985, I was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy. At that time, there was no genetic test for the disease, nor DNA sequencing of the blood. Instead, I underwent a muscle…

Since I began writing for Bionews, the parent company of Muscular Dystrophy News Today, I’ve connected with many people living with chronic illness outside of my “comfort community” — those with forms…

The power to influence or even direct people’s behavior or the course of events is part of a typical definition of “control.” When living with a chronic illness, as I am with limb-girdle…

People living with a chronic illness, including me, commonly explore how we deal with grief, which is the subject of much theory and research. I’ve thought deeply about how living with limb-girdle muscular…

Like me, my colleagues here at Bionews, the parent company of this website, write about their lives with chronic illness. In our columns, “we make a promise to our rare disease communities to deliver…