Working Through the Process — Robin Stemple

An illustration of a blind man walking down a path with a cane. Floating musical notes follow him.

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!”

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Columns

Adding new adaptations around the home to allow my caregivers a break

If you read my last column, you’ll know that I’ve been experiencing extreme physical challenges in the last couple months. These changes are a result of a combination of my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, damage from a major automobile accident many years ago, and simply growing old. This has…

Robin Stemple

Columns

Walking the tightrope, falling off, and getting back up again

Years of living with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) have taught me that it’s a balancing act on a high wire. It’s an everyday challenge to keep from falling off one way or another. Overdo it and you spend a day or two paying the price with…

Columns

There’s milk all over the floor. Should I cry, laugh, or what?

It happened two weeks ago. Then it happened again yesterday. Is this my new normal? If so, what to do? Should I laugh? Should I cry? Is a little spilled milk worth getting upset? I’m an early riser, getting up each morning to say some prayers and read some meditations.

Columns

My unbroken spirit defines me, not things I can no longer do

Each of us dealing with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is on a slightly different trajectory. For some, the disease is a series of small losses that level out to a period of relative stability. For others, the disease is a steady, steep decline. For some, the disease remains confined…

Columns

The advantages of keeping an open mind when meeting a new doctor

Having just moved to Pittsburgh from rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania, one of the many things I had to attend to was finding a new primary care physician. Back in Somerset, there weren’t many choices. Around 2003, I started with a doctor who was fresh out of residency and didn’t…

Columns

How my perspective on FSHD changed over the years

As I start a new adventure writing for Muscular Dystrophy News Today, I’d say the first sentence is the hardest. I’m so glad I got that out of the way! I’ve joined the team at Bionews, the parent company of this site, to share my experience dealing with…


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