Volume 8 Issue 2
Article 32
Northern California Bay Area Support Group My name is Doreen Christensen and I live in Vallejo, California, near San Francisco. I have had TM for over 50 years, having been diagnosed at the age of 19 months. I, personally, have no memory of the onset of this disease, only what my mother and father have told me. There was no forewarning: no illness, no pain, no weakness. I was walking at 10 months. Then one day, within twenty minutes, I was paralyzed from the waist down. That’s it! Back in the 50’s, diagnostic tools and treatments were very different; MRIs were non-existent. In fact, I did not see an MRI of my spine until 2002. Growing up with TM, for me, was a journey I took alone. There was not a TM Association, no support groups, and I never met another person with TM until I was forty-five years old. That was when I attended the TM Symposium in Baltimore. What an eye-opener! I felt like I’d found my second family. I am so grateful that finally we are making headway in understanding the mysteries of this disease and heading toward a cure. Thanks to all of you out there, who are making this happen. As a child with TM, most of my health issues revolved around orthopedic abnormalities of my legs, hips and feet. I have had several surgeries over the years that have enabled me to live a very full and happy life. I walked on crutches most of my life, up until 1999, when I had back surgery and now use a wheelchair. I live alone, along with five cats and my service dog, and I am self-employed as a transcriber. Yes, life has changed. I am getting older, slowing down a bit and have more aches and pains, both age-related and disease-related. What I see as my goal in the future is a desire to reach out and support others with TM, as well as the caregivers of an individual with TM. Recently, an article was featured in two local newspapers. From that story, which expressed my desire to start a support group in the Northern California Bay Area, three people, ranging from college-age to seventy-two years of age, have contacted me. They all have TM, and each of them has expressed an interest and enthusiasm to have a support group formed. In addition, I was fortunate enough to meet a group of people at the TM Symposium in Seattle this past July, who also exhibited an interest. My hopes are that before, or shortly after the first of the year, we will have our first meeting. We are one in a million and we need each other: to share our stories, our trials and tribulations, our grief, our joy, our knowledge. So, please join me and let’s be there for one another. Thank you. Please note contact information: Doreen Christensen |