Day is World MS Day. The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation established this day in 2009 (the year I was diagnosed) to raise awareness about MS.
This post was going to be all about World MS Day and how various organizations are working together around the globe to provide information and awareness about MS and how it affects more than two million people worldwide.
However, that all changed when I realized the date. May 28th. Something happened on May 28th. Then it hit me. My father died on May 28th exactly 11 years ago. The date wasn't fresh in my mind because it's not a date I like to remember. I remember his birthday: November 6th, 1947. That's a day to remember and celebrate. His death is not a day to celebrate.
I am a completely different person since May 28th, 2003. I lost another parent in 2004. Then in 2006 I moved out on my own to a new town. I was diagnosed with MS in 2009. In 2010, I moved across country to live in Oregon where I met the love of my life. I had a child in 2014. I can't believe I did all of this without my father. A lifetime has happened in these 11 years.
I'd like to think that he would be proud of me. I know he would love my daughter and he and Shun would have been buddies. He would love Oregon and would probably have gone salmon fishing when he visited.
However, would I be where I am now had he lived? Would I have taken the risk to move to the other side of the country if I didn't feel I needed to live life to its fullest? Would I have met Shun and had my wonderful daughter? It pains me to think of it that way.
When I celebrate World MS Day next year, I will be reminded of how monumentally my life changed on this day in 2003.
