Drum roll please…the 2018 Coraggio Spirit Award is bestowed to Brandie DeHaan, for her courage to advocate for herself and for others.

She displayed the courage to step up and to continue asking questions until correctly diagnosed and again used courage to step up until she found a treatment that worked for her. When no longer able to serve others as an EMS worker, she turned her passion for helping others into serving her family of eight and other MG patients.  Grazie for your inspiration Brandie!

                  Coraggio 2018 Spirit Award

I give gratitude for the God-given inspiration for the Coraggio book series

and for the men and women I have met along the Coraggio presentation paths

who have taught me enormously about courage, faith, and hope.

                 Coraggio Presentation Photos

I am humbled and strengthened by their valor.

This Thanksgiving weekend I reflect on the 11 months since the surgery to fix my knee prosthesis. I give gratitude to the health professionals who performed a successful surgery and without narcotics.

I thank the family and friends who cared for me through recovery; their love made all the amazing events since then more meaningful. I am grateful to God that I breathe and walk today, for I know these are miracles.

If ever there was a person who embodied courage despite a seemingly hopeless situation, it is Marilyn Andersen.  

Myasthenia gravis caused weakness in her diaphragm to the extent she was hospitalized and needed a ventilator to assist with breathing. Despite being told she would need a ventilator for the rest of her life Marilyn never gave up her determination to return home and to 100% of the activities that brought joy to her life.  When a visiting nurse told her about a “diaphragm pacer” she didn’t stop until she met with the inventor-surgeon at Cleveland Clinic and convinced him to use it on the first MG patient ever!

Marilyn turned her gratitude for the success of the diaphragm pacer into motivation to tell as many people as possible about the device which acts similar to a pacemaker and stimulates her weakened diaphragm so that the ventilator is not necessary.

The demonstration of Coraggio spirit, to bravely take charge of the aspects of a dire situation you can control, to maintain an attitude of joy and gratitude, and to believe that you can live a positive and fulfilling life, makes Marilyn Andersen a truly remarkable recipient of the 2017 Coraggio Spirit Award.

2017 Coraggio Spirit Award Winner Marilyn Anderson, with Lisa, at the MG-MI Annual Conference in East Lansing

Marilyn with diaphragm pacemaker device-No more ventilator!

Celebrating a new www.WithCourageICan.com website in time to honor Mother’s Day and the inspirational examples of courage my Nonna, Mother, and Nagymama showed me. Those lessons formed the Coraggio Book Series theme: Be Happy ~ Be Healthy ~ Take Charge of Your Attitude ~ Take Charge of Your Health ~ Have No Excuses ~ Have a Gratitude Attitude.

Check out the 30 to 60 second videos for each of the books and a 5^th as overview of the Coraggio message. http://www.withcourageican.com/about/  I humbly ask: Would you share the WithCourageICan.com website with friends and those you believe might need a dose of Coraggio inspiration and hope? Would you like this page if you haven’t already? http://www.withcourageican.com/about/

Mille grazie to http://soandco.net/ Digital for exhibiting its mission of passion to foster a society of harmony through web design, and to https://innersunrise.com/ for the web designer referral as well as for tools for tranquility while moving throughout the website build.

Enjoy a cup of hot tea and Coraggio! Inspiration at the Cadillac Authors’ Luncheon

March 4, 2017

As with Spring comes renewal: thank you to Tepel Brothers Printers for the visionary renovation of the Coraggio Book 4 cover texture and coil; to Devereaux Beauchaine for colors that POP like spring growth, and to Harriet Tepel, Martha Harper, and Amy Roberge, for the invigorating cover unveiling celebration!

May the new Coraggio Book 4 bring Hope to this season of Promise and inspire those who hear the six Coraggio talks now through April.  check out the dates and locations on this website’s home page for a talk near you!

Myasthenia Gravis Awareness month came on the heels of grieving my dear Papa’s passing.  A minor flare in symptoms served as a good reminder of the mind-body connection.  Even though I am consoled by the blessings through his life and his last days, with recognition of facial muscle weakness and inability to draw a deep breath, I made a conscious effort to say out loud each morning and before sleeping,

        “I am well, I am well…All is Well”.

As I affirm that I love every working muscle and every muscle needing a little encouragement, wellness settles into body and soul.

With only four days left of MG Awareness month, I invite you to “Like” the Facebook “Coraggio—Lesson from an Italian Grandmother” page, and while there grab some courage and join me in shouting, “With Courage I Can!”

Extreme heat can worsen symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis.

But did you know that extreme cold can also exacerbate symptoms of this neuromuscular disease?

After diagnosis, it was suggested I to try to select my environs as if a hothouse orchid – moderate temperatures.

With the sub-zero wind howling against my window tonight, this Southern-Italian-blooded girl rather imagines the viticoltore (grapevine grower) who caringly selected the spectacular setting in this photo for his beloved crops.  Nestled along the Naples, Italy, coast, near the homes of cousins Flavio and Daniela Starnone, the soft Mediterranean breeze soothes the plants from the summer heat.  Yet the caretaker of the vines knows the modest winter temperatures will nurture the purplish globe fruit to optimal sugar content and succulence—without bringing harm.

Tonight I am reminded to care for myself as the viticoltore does his grapevines.  It is okay to turn the thermostat up a couple more degrees, nestle under a fluffy comforter with my photo album, and convey myself to a sunny seaside stroll between the rows of a Neapolitan vineyard. Salute and stay warm!

Need a dose of inspiration or hope?

The 2013 Coraggio award is presented to a woman who was diagnosed several decades ago—before there were many treatments for Myasthenia Gravis.  Despite being hospitalized for months she faced her situation with tremendous courage.  Her amazing career and extraordinary MGFA volunteer efforts stems from her philosophy of:

“…maintain a positive attitude about yourself.  Always keep the faith and have hope for a better tomorrow – especially when it appears MG is controlling your life.”  

For the first 15 years after diagnosed, she lived without knowing another MG patient, thus she made her it her mission to connect others with MG.  She used her MG diagnosis to change the world for better—her positive energy and determination resulted in connecting hundreds of people so no patient or caregiver would feel alone in figuring how to live with MG.  Today, because of her courage and resolve in the face of an otherwise devastating illness, we have the local MG Foundation Great Lakes Chapter and several regional Michigan support groups.

To Esther Land, never a more deserving award winner—Bravissimo!

2013 Coraggio Award Winner Esther Land