M.I.A.

Yes i  have been mia. Facebook probably thinks that I am dead. Amazon, Nykaa and Myntra are sending me We miss you emails. But I haven't disappeared from the face of the earth. At least not yet. The fact is at the age of 32, I started showing weird symptoms and was eventually diagnosed with ALS. Let me give you a moment to Google that. Yes it is the Stephen Hawking condition. Yes it is fatal. And no there is no cure yet

 Needless to say my life completely changed after the diagnosis and to make matters worse i was progressing rapidly. I had to move back to India. Soon I lost the ability to use my hands and arms. I continued to work using my knuckles to type which by the way is slow and painful. Gradually my legs were affected too.

As of today, I can't do much with my hands. They are pretty much lifeless, I can't eat food on my own, can't use the TV remote, or even my phone. It has been so long since I touched my own face or combed my own hair. I can no longer sit up or stand up or even sit down. I can't walk anymore even with a walker. When I lay in bed I can't turn on my side. 

I have trouble swallowing food and drinking water for which I have to use a straw. I can't speak because my voice lacks clarity and is meek. My face looks so different from before, even my smile has changed. My back is stooped and holding my neck up is a constant struggle. My body is in a state of eternal tiredness.

The truth about ALS is it will completely change your body and appearance. It will impact all areas of your life. But it will not change you as a person. I am still the same human being on the inside. I am still me. I am still Sneha. 

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