Serendipity

The key project designer/architect of Seattle's Central Library was in town last month talking about what went into the design of the now iconic structure. The usual suspects of addressing needs of all constituents, usefulness, budget, purpose, etc all came up..but then in answer to a question essentially asking what about the purpose of the actual book is in the 21st century, Josh brought up 'the need to ensure serendipity' in finding a book.

Serendipity. It is a great word and concept and though I have not used it in awhile, I think it is time to use it again.

It is true that so much about the experience in a library - at least when I go with my son - is about browsing through the shelves to see what we can discover. To see which covers will captivate his imagination and which words he will acknowledge now knowing how to read. To see what will pass the test to make it to the check out pile. We can even manipulate the serendipitous-ness a bit by looking in the online catalog to discover ALL of the holdings on a certain topic. And then place holds on the ones that pass the title test.

Serendipity is also very much at work in the real world as to why things happen or why certain people contract conditions. Of course environmental conditions are not all serendipitous. If you smoke a couple packs of cigarettes a day, you will most likely get lung cancer. Your choice, your probable outcome.

At this point in the MS world, cause and effect is pretty much defined by serendipity. If you live above or below certain longitude lines, and don't get to sunnier climates enough, you have a greater chance of developing MS. If you then experience a major physical trauma, your chances increase. Bottom line is that they just do not know for sure why MS starts revealing itself in its targets.

The serendipity of how aggressive and progressive my MS path has been is maddening. Heart stopping at times. Ultimately the only things that will make the anger go away is by controlling the few things that I can: diet (I am gluten and dairy free and 95% fully plant based), body work and exercise. Thankfully a background in team sports has led to being pretty disciplined in these areas. Though every once in awhile, a margarita is the perfect medicine!

Pushing to be part of Sadiq's Phase 1 stem trial is most likely part of this control thing I got going on. Drugs do not do well in my body. Each one I have tried has made my symptoms worse. Double blind, placebo trials may be good to placate the FDA, but those are not the trials that will help me. Sorry drug companies. You had your chance and you blew it. So step away from the chalupa!

It is the trial guaranteeing a treatment with the fewest side effects and minimal time away from home that will help me AND help the medical research field. For the mom to a 5.5 year old and wife to an active, outdoorsy guy, that is music to my ears. I know the treatment may not work, but there are a lot of other trials going on out there involving stem cells, and there are heartening outcomes! I am hoping that serendipity has gotten its wiggles out enough already in my life and that the other positives outcomes around the world  portend well for me and how the addition of extra stem cells cells will improve my symptoms.

The down side to being a participant in the trial is all the waiting……I am really not good at that.