“This is…unexpected.”

“I have excellent medical plans for my minions, and they go down in per capita price the more people I add. It was only logical to add you onto the plan too, especially because we both know you can’t afford your own insurance.”

“Are you calling me your minion?”

On February 6th, I was diagnosed with Recurring Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. 

Multiple Sclerosis is an auto - immune disease where the the immune system attacks the myelin sheaths around nerve cells within the brain. Over time, this can lead to multiple problems like numbness, loss of motion, or paralyzation. 

I remember when I was told about it the doctor entered my room with what felt like 30 residents. When he told me the news I remember I looked at him and had a smile on my face while nodding at him that I understand what hew as saying. 

He was shocked. The students were amazed.

Since then, I have been meeting with specialists, having multiple tests done, and have decided on what form of treatment I will be taking part in. I still have 2 active lesions in my brain and have 10-15 older ones. 

If it was not for my friends and family I do not know where I would be or how I would feel. 

Multiple Sclerosis is directly affected by mood, stress, and mental health as a whole. If you know someone with Multiple Sclerosis, do not be afraid to tell them that you love them and give them a big hug.

There are some people that most of us will not recognise in the posts because they are not either historically well known, or household names, today we wish Sir Kenneth Charles Calman a happy birthday.

You could call Mr Calman an unsung hero of today's medical profession the Scotland is so proud of. He began his medical training at the University of Glasgow in 1959, and took a BSc in Biochemistry before graduating in medicine in 1967.

After working on aspects of dermatology for his PhD, he completed his hospital training, and then spent two years as the Medical Research Council Clinical Research Fellow at the Chester Beatty Research Institute in London.

He returned to the University of Glasgow in 1974 as Professor of Oncology and held a series of senior posts, including Dean of Postgraduate Medicine and Professor of Postgraduate Medical Education. Sir Kenneth has served as Chairman of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation and the European Environment and Health Committee. Sir Kenneth was Chief Medical Officer at the Scottish Office Home and Health Department from 1989 and then Chief Medical Officer in London. Sir Kenneth also served for many years as a prominent clinical professor and he is an author on the treatment and care of cancer patients, and other health issues.

His most recent book is A Study of Storytelling, Humour and Learning in Medicine*. With the support of the Nuffield Trust he has been a principal mover in setting up a national network to study the closer involvement of the arts and humanities with health and medicine. He is a Fellow of several academic and professional bodies including the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

As well as his extensive medical work Sir Kenneth Calman was the chair of a commission established by the Scottish Parliament in March 2008 to review Scottish devolution, commonly referred to as the Calman Commission.