b'To x breakfast, lunch, and dinner for. I needed recommended making a chart for my daughterto get my daughter ready for school every to help her with getting ready for school. Shemorning, and do her homework with her every drew the chart to ax to the wall: wake up,evening.She was in a particularly ambitious get dressed, brush teeth. We watched DanielMontessorischoolthatassignedgobsof Tiger episodes together and I even found ahomework to the children every day, even the couple of short animated cartoons on YouTubeweekends. I felt like she was drowning under to explain MS to my 5-year-old, in an eortit, and I was drowning under my MS. to demystify the change that had happenedI was lucky to have the help of my husband to Mommy overnight. Day-by-day, my kidsand his family, but still, I was their mom. They adjusted as I did.were my world, and I, theirs. Every night I lay Now my daughter is eight, my son is ve.with them while they fell asleep, attending to I depend on so much help from my family:them when they had bad dreams, or waking my own and my husbands. It takes a villageup to their little feet seeking out my warmth is a phrase truer than any other when it comesin our bed. Every day was hard. I started a to rearing children when you have a chronicnew MS treatment, and that helped me get condition like MS. The inner stink beetlesout of the tailspin of my relapse, but to this subside, but never really go away. I have foundday, the numbness has persisted. I started I need to ght my MS the same way I ght forphysical therapy and occupational therapy, my kids. I went through a clinical trial for aand was told I needed more sleep, but I felt in hopeful remyelination medication. When thea fog, unable to manage beyond the day-to-day. pandemic came, my husband and I packed upJust get through today has been my motto and went on a cross-country road trip, fromsince my daughter was a baby. I had never California to North Carolina, hauling a rentedwanted to look toward the future very much. camp trailer for sleeping and bathroom breaks.I just wanted to enjoy the time I had with My husband returned to California and wethem, and retreat to the bliss of sleep.spent the last year apart. My two parents, retiredWhile on an effective treatment, I felt college professors, homeschooled our kidsprotected from the relapses, but at the same and we all got by, through the pandemic.time, I felt those inner stink beetles ready to We are headed back California way, andattack at any time, to descend on me in the looking forward to reuniting with my husband,nighttime. I needed to plan for the future. For the father of my children. We are lookingmyself, for my children. I had to shift my focus forwardtoandplanningforthefuture,from just getting through the day. I had to because my kids needed me yesterday, needpreserve myself for the next day, and the next, me today, need me tomorrow, and need me inand the next. I needed to ensure that I could ten years. My wonderful family is supportingbe there for them, for my husband and for me and my kids, while I hold myself togetherme. This meant focusing on myself and my throughspreadingnumbnessandinnerrecovery, because Im their mom.They need stink beetles. I dont know how I could do ittheir mom just as much as I need them. any other way, so I am glad and grateful thatResources were slim. My occupational I dont have to do this alone. I have a village totherapists tried giving me the little advice they help against the onslaught of this insidious,could for helping my parenting journey. One stinky disease. Elizabeth McLachlan has been living with multiple sclerosis for 17 years. She has abackground in anthropology, and loves to engage with her MS community through her blog:msguidedbits.com. She loves hiking, playing with her kids, tap dancing whenever MS givesher a break.57 msfocusmagazine.org'