Mike

Mike has spinal muscular atrophy or SMA. Over the course of his life, he has slowly lost his abilities.

All of them.

The ability to walk, to lift, to move, to breathe, to function on his own. Six months ago, he choked on some pineapple juice and almost died (for the third time in that year). When he woke up, he discovered they had to put in a trach tube, which meant he could no longer speak, eat, or drink on his own. Cut off from the world, left totally dependent.

He now "eats" through a feeding tube and speaks through a computer. He can use facial expressions to say "yes", "no", "reset", and "panic". Otherwise, he uses the thumb that works on a withered hand to spell things out slowly on a computer that speaks for him. A sentence takes several minutes.

His life is constantly at risk. He recognizes fully that he has little time and could go at any moment.

His mother takes care of him full-time. But he decided he needed an escape and hired himself an assistant. He also put up a personal ad on craigslist and has a girlfriend.

Mike found ways to escape, to take advantage of his life, despite the massive hurdles that stand in his way. Yeah, he gets horribly depressed and worried at times. But he gets out, sees the world, goes to movies, keeps a blog...

So what real problem do I have? Any? What reason do I have to complain about much of anything? How about a little gratitude, Nick? At least for the day...

Thanks for some perspective, This American Life.