A Change of Direction
A Change of Direction A recent acquaintance, also a Marf (In fact, she’s the one who taught me that word – it’s a lot easier than saying “someone who has Marfan’s!), said “This is a great time to have Marfan’s!” I’m still thinking about that. I know she meant that medical science has advanced so much over the last 10 years that, with proper diagnosis and treatment, and moderate restrictions to their life-style and activities, a Marf can enjoy normal life expectancy. Two weeks ago I was taught a hard lesson about those “moderate restrictions” to life-style and activities. Until I was diagnosed with Marfan’s, I had been fairly active. I had worked in the fields, chopping weeds with a bolo (No big deal – everyone I knew cut weeds with a bolo. It’s the way farmers live in the Philippines!) and played with my classmates. Although I was thin, I was a lot taller than the other kids and I had a lot of leverage with my long arms. After learning about Marfan’s through the US National Marfan ...