I originally shared my experience with GBS, in February 2018, in episode #58. That podcast took me quite a long time to record and the blog post even longer to write since it was right in the early stages of healing and I was still coming to terms with what happened. Still, I was compelled to write and speak my story as best I could, mainly because that's one of the ways I cope with things of this severe nature. You can check out that episode and detailed blog post, here.
During the last year, I've spoken to a handful of survivors of Guillain Barre Syndrome, and participate regularly in some Facebook groups full of survivors of GBS or CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy) who all have varying experiences with this disease and its variants. I've kept in contact with some of them regularly, and inparticular with a person I invited to become a guest with me here on this episode, Mary Catherine (MC).
MC is the Founder and CEO of Coffee and Cocktails with MC, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help promote, represent, and support local, family-owned, and small businesses through a variety of media and social opportunities, to help further their exposure. She is also a blogger at MyBlindLife.com, where she documents her new-normal life as a wife, mother, small business advocate and survivor of GBS and a medical incident that left her visually impaired.
MC and I talk about our experiences with Guillain Barre, from how things were before the disease hit, how we both contracted it, our treatment experiences, and the ways we've worked through recovery since.
We talk about how much we've learned and the attitude and mindset we've had to embrace in order to heal from this dreaded disease. The struggles, the wins, and everything in between have helped shaped our individual lives since and also helped to give us a message to share with others. As you'll hear, and if you're a listener of this podcast you know already, the power of sharing your story can be an amazing means of inspiring and validating. It's something I try to embrace, and MC also is a big believer in finding ways to use her experiences to help others.
I hope you'll enjoy this episode, and take heart in knowing that throughout the recovery from this ordeal, one of the similarities you'll hear is that during healing, it's important to surround yourself with a good support system, both in person and online. The power of support is crucial to healing and whomever you can get to help you, virtually or otherwise, will make things so much better...especially during the dark, difficult times that will inevitably come but will also give way, in time, to new possibilities and hope.
Be sure and check out Coffee&CocktailswithMC to learn more about the work MC Derin is doing and the ways she is using her experiences to help others.
-Matthew Pappas, CLC, MPNLP
Guillain Barre Syndrome Survivor.
All conversation and information exchanged during participation on the Beyond Your Past Podcast, on BeyondYourPast.com, and BeyondYourPastRadio.com is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Nothing on these podcasts or posted on the above-mentioned websites are supplements for or supersedes the relationship and direction of your medical or mental health providers.