A walker should help prevent falls, right?
I’m getting more comfortable using my walker. However, it just doesn’t pay to trust the darned thing. The other day in my bedroom, I was putting clothes away. I was planning to take…
Working Through the Process — Robin Stemple
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!”
Featured Post
I’ll continue to do what I love, despite the FSHD ‘hangovers’
My wife, Wendy, and I had a wonderful Sunday recently. We rose early and hit the road to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where we had lived for over 41 years before moving to Pittsburgh to be…
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I always try to pause to appreciate the small victories
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…
My trip to the Idlewild amusement park was wild, but worth it
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…
An emergency preparedness plan is crucial for those with disabilities
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,…
Examples of ableism I’ve encountered in life with FSHD
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…
Overcoming mental hurdles as I transition to using a walker
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…
Making memories on what was likely my last family vacation
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,…
Adjusting my definition of what it means to be a man
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.”…
I wish more facilities considered accessibility and privacy
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…
What I want people to know about FSHD and its progression
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…
Mattress shopping really makes me want to take a nap
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…
