A few weeks ago I attended a family reunion of sorts in Phoenix where I was reminded that a nephew's wife contends with multiple sclerosis on a daily basis. MS primarily affects adults but, occasionally, adult diseases present to Pediatric ERs.
Chief Complaint: Blurry Vision
The slender teen opens
her closed right eye
and sends the orbit wandering,
similar to her own weaving walk
for the past two weeks.
A head scan reveals cannonballs
scattered on the battlefield of her brain.
Not tumors but damage
from the arsenal of multiple sclerosis,
protective coating stripped
from nerves, leaving them as vulnerable
as the unsteady adolescent before me,
struggling to focus.
Marilyn Aschoff Mellor
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