I sat down with Denise Alicea of The Pen and Muse to discuss my memoir, The Dog Story: A Journey Into a New Life with Multiple Sclerosis. Here is an excerpt from that interview: Interview with author of The Dog Story, Matt Cavallo. Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself! I am … Read more
I sat down with R. Morgan Griffin to discuss what it is like to be a parent living with Multiple Sclerosis for WebMD. Here is an excerpt from that interview: Multiple sclerosis can’t stop you from being a great parent. The key is to focus on your strengths and learn creative ways to work around your symptoms. Your … Read more
There are over two million stories of people living with Multiple Sclerosis worldwide. The great thing about the internet is that it tightens the circle of people living with MS and allows us to connect and share our stories and experiences. The story that I would like to share is that of Dan and Jennifer … Read more
Readers who follow my blog know that I have a family history of Multiple Sclerosis. My Aunt Loretta, my dad’s sister, was diagnosed with MS in the 1970s. During that time there was little medical treatment that could help her. She eventually died due to complications of Multiple Sclerosis in 1981, when I was only … Read more
Some of my favorite childhood memories stem from the holidays. On Christmas Eve, my Grandmother prepared a wonderful homemade Italian feast followed by a bonfire in the front yard where the whole neighborhood would gather to sing Christmas carols. Although the weather was never above freezing, we were warmed with a sense of unity in … Read more
Some pain is obvious. When someone breaks a leg, the leg is put in a cast and the person is given crutches. When you look at a person hobbling around on crutches you feel immediate compassion because you can see the pain and discomfort the person is experiencing. This is not the case with chronic … Read more
The holidays are a stressful time. Combine the stress of the holidays with a Multiple Sclerosis relapse and the result can be overwhelming on a person and/or family. During Thanksgiving in 2010, I experienced a devastating relapse with a symptom that I had never experienced before: severe mood swings and emotional outbursts. Here is an … Read more
In 1981 when I was only four years old, my Aunt Loretta passed away from complications related to her Multiple Sclerosis. My only living memories are that she was in a wheelchair then bedbound and unable to talk. She could only mumble and moan. As I lay in my hospital bed in 2005, I’m thought … Read more
One of the more vivid memories of my hospital stay for Transverse Myelitis was my mother’s conspiracy theory for why I was lying in a hospital bed non-functioning from the waist down. She believed that I developed Multiple Sclerosis from something I was exposed to in the Navy. This was one theory that I … Read more
As far back as I can remember, I dreamed of visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I was born into a football family, more specifically a New England Patriots football family. We used to huddle around my grandmother’s kitchen table each Sunday and listen to AM radio broadcasts because the Pats weren’t good enough … Read more