Working Through the Process — Robin Stemple

I just turned 66. I’m not sure if it was my birthday, the calendar changing, or perhaps the fact that the men in my family don’t live especially long lives, but I’ve really been…

My wife, Wendy, and I have always loved having folks over to the house, especially during the holidays. We used to enjoy visiting our friends, as well. Having friends over was short-circuited when we…

I was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) at age 14, when I was a freshman in high school. But even before that, I had begun adapting to my physical challenges. My…

Patient columnist Robin Stemple has many people who assist him, particularly his wife and daughter, and he is grateful for everyone who gives him help on a daily basis, often without him even having to ask.

I’ll admit that I was a support group cynic in my younger days. My attitude was that I’d figure things out on my own. I just couldn’t see the benefit of sitting around a…

When I moved to Pittsburgh in January to be closer to my children and grandchildren, we were aware that we’d have to make modifications to our new home. Finding an accessible home…

Getting surprise help when you have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) isn’t considered newsworthy. But maybe it should be. These days, it seems that most, if not all, of the news on television and…

Back in the 1980s, as a high school special education teacher, I enjoyed giving my students an assignment at the start of the school year to see if they could follow directions. I told…

Those who read my columns regularly will know that my last one was written just after my wife, Wendy, and my daughter, Jill, took off for a vacation in Croatia, Greece, and Slovenia.

It’s been about an hour since the garage door closed and my wife, Wendy, and daughter, Jill, set off on what I hope will be an incredible adventure. They’re headed on a 15-day vacation…

Every day is different with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). As I wrote in a previous column, managing the condition is a balancing act. If I do too much, I’ll pay for it…

I recently talked with a friend about body language and facial expressions. She’d attended a public hearing where she ended up sitting just behind the main speaker. As the hearing progressed, she became certain…