Rob Stemple is a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities. He was diagnosed with FSHD in 1971 at age 14. Rob struggled with its’ affects for over 50 years. He lost his eyesight in a devastating crash with a drunk driver. Rob has been a special education teacher, director of a nonprofit organization serving the blind and a newspaper columnist. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Wendy, where they both enjoy hanging out with their kids and grandkids. Rob is a musician, composer, and recording artist. His theory of life is, “Do the best you can with what you’ve got to work with!”
I’m currently continuing to do the exercises my physical therapist recommended during my last therapy session. However, it hasn’t been stopping the progression of my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). While I’m hoping the exercises are slowing the progression…
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Idlewild, which is near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, is an old-style amusement park that’s been around since the days when the gentry from Pittsburgh took the train to their summer homes in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands. It’s…
As Western Pennsylvania natives, my wife, Wendy, and I are both Steelers fans. Naturally, when the Steelers played the Dallas Cowboys a couple weeks ago, we tuned in. If you’re not a football fan, you’re most likely unaware that…
I’ve been disabled for over 50 years, and I spent over 30 years working with people with disabilities. The language surrounding disability has evolved in that time. For the most part, that’s a good thing. As an example, person-first…
I’ve had a walker with wheels for a decade. I got it after back surgery in 2014 and used it for a month or so. As a blind person with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), I found it much…
My wife, Wendy, and I recently enjoyed a beach vacation in North Carolina with our family. That included our three children, Nicole, Jill, and Ryan, as well as their partners and our three grandkids, Iva, Julia, and Theo. Hurricane…
Kevin Schaefer, the associate director of community content at Bionews, the parent company of this website, recently shared a thought-provoking article from Psychology Today titled “How Chronic Illness and Masculinity Intersect.” It has me thinking about…
A few years ago, my wife, Wendy, and I took a mini-vacation to Philadelphia with my brother Ron, his wife, Judy, my brother Tim, and his wife, Diane. Ron, Tim, and I had visited relatives there on a regular…
As I was finishing up a recent interview with the host of “FSHD Radio: Straight Talk with Tim Hollenback,” a service of the FSHD Society, Tim’s final question was, “If there’s one thing you’d like people to…
Last week, my wife, Wendy, and I finally got around to starting the process of purchasing a new mattress. We realized when we moved to Pittsburgh in January 2023 that we needed to replace our mattress, which has…
Over the past couple months, I’ve shared my decision to try physical therapy in an attempt to slow the progression of my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). I also shared that I haven’t seen a lot of…
In a column I wrote last month, I talked about finally deciding to try some physical therapy, despite more than a little pessimism that it would be effective. Actually, I’ve been struggling with this decision for…
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