IntrinsicTina

Plastic garbage bags and totes litter my floor but they don't contain trash; they contain stories of my life, in the form of clothes. I have ALS, otherwise known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron disease, or Lou Gehrig's disease. This degenerative neuro-muscular disease destroys the motor neurons, the communication system between the brain and muscles, which renders one paralyzed and breathing compromised. There is no treatment nor cure thus ALS is 100% fatal. Since I find myself in the latter portion of the disease, a quadriplegic, confined to my bed most days, I have no practical use for much of my hard-earned wardrobe. Finally the stars aligned where I could bear the dreaded chore, and my husband was willing to transport the dozens of 30-gallon spring green totes, full of shirts, pants, robes, career-wear, sportswear, and dresses to my nursing home. (Yeah, I live in one of those! It's where one goes when one doesn't purchase long-term care insurance ...

Have you ever been famous or had your "15 minutes of fame"? Why yes, yes, I have. For whatever it's worth. I had the rare opportunity to knit a piece for the Silver Anniversary edition of Vogue Knitting Magazine while working for a prestigious yarn and notions distributor. I paired two luxurious yarns together in silver and black and knitted an elegantly simple scarf that actually graced the pages of this historic crafters and designers full color periodical. I guess I wasn't famous per se, but my work had it's day in the spotlight and I'm kind of proud of that. I had my moment of being infamous and it brings me shame. Why mention it? Honesty. Full disclosure. Know all of me. Good and bad. There is a little good in the worst of us and a little bad in the best of us. We are human and imperfect after all. I once made the newspaper for running my car into a bicycle shop. Well, I wasn't actually named in the article nor was my photo published but it was su...

On Friday, August 22nd myself and 21 of my extended family and friends at Life Care Center of Federal Way did the #icebucketchallenge for ALS. We were blessed with news coverage when the local newspaper, the Federal Way Mirror showed up. Many of the employees and friends chose to participate and donate to find a cure. It was an exciting event and it felt good to be taking part in such a great cause.