Recent Writing
How knitting helps me deal with MS
- The Scotsman
- 05 April 2016
Hand in hand, my younger daughter and I stand and gaze at the skeins of wool in front of us. We’re at the annual yarn festival in Edinburgh. Dozens of stalls stretch ahead of us, making a rainbow of colour.
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How to mark Mother's Day with MS
- The Scotsman
- 11 March 2016
WE’RE sat inside one of the booths at the Galvin Brasserie de Luxe. It’s Mother’s Day and it feels like we could be in Paris. Only the seagulls swooping overhead in the car park remind us we remain firmly in EH1.
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It turns out I need to accept my MS
- The Scotsman
- 02 March 2016
JOURNALIST and MS campaigner Helen Fowler on getting through the bad days, trying to Google away her illness and edging towards acceptance of her MS.
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My stereotype of MS was demolished by the reality
- The Scotsman
- 18 February 2016
Lying on the carpet in my bedroom, I am following the instructions from the physio for my MS. I’ve done the Base Position and the Bridge. Now for the most challenging of all: Table Top. I lift first one leg off the floor, then the other. I hold them aloft, knees bent, for five seconds at a time.
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Hope is never gone
- The Scotsman
- 09 February 2016
I have made it about half-way across the road. But suddenly my legs buckle under me. Something isn’t working in my body the way it normally does. Sensation, control and power – they’re all gone. I’m frightened and horrified.
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Fear of MS always on my mind
- The Scotsman
- 02 February 2016
It's freezing and snow is swirling around us. My children and I are desperate to get into the warmth of our house. But the key won’t seem to go in the lock. Perhaps it’s not the right key. I check, holding it up towards a street lamp for a closer look.
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How my daughter’s resourcefulness makes me cry
- The Scotsman
- 25 January 2016
I’m stood at the entrance to the school hall, waiting for my daughter to finish her singing before taking her home. From the doorway I can hear children’s voices raised in song. I peer through the glass door to see if I can locate my daughter.
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MS diagnosis was almost a relief
- The Scotsman
- 12 January 2016
We are driving through the Pyrénées in the late summer of 2003. It’s a beautiful day; perfect for climbing in the mountains. I should be up there with the rest of the walking group. But instead I’m driving through the valley in the support van.
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Helping my daughters understand MS
- The Scotsman
- 29 December 2015
We are sat on the No 8 bus, jolting as we make our way through the darkness of late afternoon to the Royal Infirmary on the outskirts of Edinburgh. There my two daughters and I are due to pick up some medicine for my multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Past no longer in the past
- The Scotsman
- 15 December 2015
I am cursing my idiocy for insisting on a “real” tree for Christmas. Thanks to my Multiple Sclerosis (MS), bringing even a modest fir tree home is turning into a feat of endurance. What’s wrong with the seven feet of green plastic we already have?
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Brief respite from reality
- Scotland on Sunday
- 06 December 2015
Kos isn’t just a port in the storm for Syrian refugees but an idyllic getaway for a family haunted by MS.
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Gardening and MS: forgetting my worries
- MS Society
- 11 June 2015
Two magpies stride across the lawn, chests puffed out as they strut. Two for joy. And this garden has indeed brought me happiness.
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