Working Through the Process — Robin Stemple

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…

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…

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…

Regular readers of my column will know that my wife, Wendy, and I moved from Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to Pittsburgh in January 2023 to be closer to our children and grandchildren. There have…

In my last column, I wrote about the increasing difficulties I’m having safely navigating my home using the “furniture surfing” technique. I wondered whether it was time that I break out the walker…

I had an incident about a month ago that I’ve been thinking about ever since. It’s left me wondering if it’s time for me to begin using a walker, something I tried years ago…

I received an overwhelming response to my last column, in which I grappled with feelings of uselessness when my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) prevented me from helping in the way I would…

As I write this column, my wife, Wendy, is undergoing abdominal surgery. I won’t go into details, but it’s a pretty extensive procedure, so I’m concerned. I’d like to be there for Wendy, but…

I’m reading “Eyes to the Wind: A Memoir of Love and Death, Hope and Resistance” by Ady Barkan, a late lawyer and political activist who had ALS. It’s been a tough…

Last night, my wife, Wendy, asked me if I’d like to go out to eat. For most people, this request wouldn’t require much thought. It’s a simple yes or no question. However, my…

The symptoms of my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) make staying positive a daily challenge. Many people with muscular dystrophy struggle with depression. This battle is magnified every winter as I…

Pennsylvania’s Somerset County, where I lived before moving to Pittsburgh a year ago, is situated in the Laurel Highlands, an area that is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. At an elevation…