A human being since 1972, Patrick Moeschen recently retired after 28 years of teaching music at the middle school level in a public school setting. Diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy (MD) in 1985, and re-diagnosed with limb-girdle 2E MD in 2012, Patrick leads an active life working with nonprofits and advocating for individuals living with MD. Patrick lives with his wife Vanessa, and two sons, Timothy and Teddy in a handicap accessible home that they designed in Salem, New Hampshire.
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,…
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“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…
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…
In my four decades of life with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, I’ve become comfortable educating everyone I meet about my quality of life and the ways all of us living with chronic, rare…
I believe that all of us who live with a chronic illness deal with a future full of unknowns. We all wrestle with uncertainty regarding quality of life from year to year, month…
As most of America’s children go back to school, I thought it’d be timely to offer readers my perspective, as a retired teacher and wheelchair user, on the beginning of an academic year. I…
Roughly four decades into living with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, I’ve developed numerous ways to thrive. Like many others, I believe in the power of a positive attitude. I try my best…
Muscular dystrophy entered my life in the fall of 1984. I was 11 years old and beginning my sixth year of school. Along with neighborhood friends, I would walk to and from my…
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