Frank Ward had been active his whole life – hockey, football, all sports. Then, in 2008, he had to have surgery on both his knees after a devastating fall. Pushing himself through rehabilitation, he had effectively recovered within a matter of months. But, in the spring of 2009, Frank was given a drug for an […]
Category: Stories
Jill Elrod: Smiling Through The Pain
It can be tough for anyone to keep up with a 4-year old. But when you spend most of your day in a wheelchair due to constant pain, it’s nearly impossible. Jill Elrod tries to make the most of each day and enjoy time with her daughter who tries to understand that ‘mommy’s legs hurt.’ […]
Jack Miller: In His Own Words
by Jack Miller, FPN founder and Chairman of the Board My peripheral neuropathy began to manifest itself sometime around 1994 or 1995, about the time my late wife passed away. It started with pain in my feet, so I began going to podiatrists. Over the course of four years, I went to three or four […]
Dianne Jones: Chicago to Cleveland
Some might say Dianne Jones is one of the lucky ones. Diagnosed with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy 25 years ago, she experiences numbness and tingling but she has no pain. Her hands and feet are numb; moving around is difficult. She loses her balance, bumps into things, her gait is uneven. She is stiff and uncoordinated, […]
Richard Easley: An Investment in Better Health – For All of Us!
I’ve had peripheral neuropathy for about 10 years though I wasn’t officially diagnosed with idiopathic neuropathy until several years ago. My neurologist gave me neurontin, told me there’s no cure and “have a nice life.” Does that sound familiar? Too many of us have heard it. I settled for taking the medication, eating better, doing […]
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Lt. Col. Eugene Richardson: Why Me? vs What Now?
It is not news that neuropathy all too often creates serious disabilities. Life can be turned upside down. We often lose the ability to do things we have taken for granted, challenging the very core of our life’s purpose and meaning. Every one of us has been there in this struggle and it is natural […]
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Eugene Richardson: One Man’s Journey of Neuropathy
His nightmare began in 1969 – one year after leaving the Vietnam War. Symptoms of autonomic neuropathy affected his breathing with upper body paralysis that brought him to his knees and affected other parts of his body; mysterious chest pains, unexplained silent tachycardia, urinary and digestive problems. An Army officer, he struggled for 10 years […]
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Cynthia Chouhan: A Day Like Any Other
Today, I am traveling so I thought this would be a good time to observe and think about my idiopathic peripheral neuropathy, about how it redefines and constricts my life. I am, as are each of you who lives with it, aware of peripheral neuropathy constantly but I try not to focus my conscious energy […]