Journal Volume 2 - April 2007
Article 39
Minnesota and Wisconsin A Wisconsin and Minnesota TM support group is being organized by Lynn Seifert, Dean Peter and Darian Vietzke. We are all excited to begin helping individuals with TM and their families in the Wisconsin and Minnesota areas. For example, a small group has already begun to meet the last Friday of every month at a restaurant in Inver Grove Heights, MN (near Minneapolis and St. Paul) to share information and fellowship. We would like to encourage and assist organizing similar gatherings in Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you are interested, please contact us via the contact information provided at the end of this article. Below, we have also provided a brief introduction of ourselves. We look forward to hearing from other TMA members in the Wisconsin and Minnesota area! Lynn Seifert My name is Lynn Seifert. I’m 47 years old. My wife’s name is Jodie and we have four children (Erin, Ryan, Emily and Evan), one dog (Hannah) and one cat (Mittens). I live in Pepin, Wisconsin, which is a small town with a population of around 900 on the Mississippi River. I am a barber three days per week and a carpenter three days per week. I was diagnosed with TM about nine years ago. I woke up one morning with both legs asleep from the knees down. Jodie said I was walking like Frankenstein’s monster. I was checked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and treated with an IV drip of Solumedrol for three days. It worked but I’ve been left with decreased sensitivity in my legs from the knees down to my toes. I have the most trouble feeling my toes. I don’t always know where my feet are unless I’m looking down while walking and I fatigue easily. My lower legs hurt worse as I tire out, but I am still working. Just a few months ago, Jodie said she found the TMA website on the internet and requested their newsletter. After reading Stephen Miller’s article on support groups, I looked for a support group around the Mayo Clinic area in the directory. I could not find one. After much consideration, and many discussions with Jodie (for the first time as I’ve been unwilling to discuss my situation with anyone until recently), I contacted Mr. Miller to start a support group in my area. He said, “Great! We’ve needed someone to get this started up there; we don’t have support groups in either Minnesota or Wisconsin. Why not do both?” So, here I am after jumping in feet first and eyes closed, hoping and praying for everyone’s patience as I’m learning on the run, so to speak. Mr. Miller asked for my goals, but I don’t know as I have any yet as such. I have hopes. I hope to have open lines of communication amongst all of us already diagnosed and those yet to be diagnosed. I hope there are many of us willing to be contacted by those recently diagnosed who need someone to talk to and tell them we are going to be ok. We have all learned to cope, now let’s help others. I hope to, at the very least, meet all of you in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I hope to have the knowledge, patience, communication skills, and humor to do this job the justice it deserves. Thank you for this opportunity. Dean Peter I am a banker by trade. I was diagnosed in early 2004 and have 2 lesions that apparently occurred at the same time. Problems include pain in my left leg, weakness, extreme fatigue, bladder does not function sometimes, spasms in legs and hands and permanent numbness in both hands. Like others, I have good and bad days. Current treatment includes Rebif, weekly IV’s, Cellcept, amantadin and physical therapy. Darian Vietzke I am married to Amy and we have three children, Erin (age 11), Jason (age 6), and Michael (age 3). Our son Jason was diagnosed with TM at the age of 10 months. During the initial onset, Jason spent five weeks in the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital. The onset was between C2 and C7, which has left him with little movement in his arms and no movement in his hands or legs. While life has been a challenge for Jason and our family, we are very blessed for the support and friendships we have gained in the TMA and from many other individuals. We have learned a great deal from others and wish to provide the same support to other families. We have been helped by many individual’s support and information on equipment, therapies, and in how to adapt our house, as well as just understanding what we are going through. Jason is a happy and energetic bright young boy that likes to do many boy things. We look forward to meeting more individuals and families as the support groups begin to form in the Minnesota and Wisconsin areas.
Contact Information Mr. Lynn Seifert Mr. Dean Peter Mr. Darian Vietzke |
Go to Next Page
Go to Previous Page
Go to Newsletter Index
Go to Main Page