From the Healthline.com interview posted 12/16/14

Meet one of our top bloggers in the Best Health Blog contest- Matt Cavallo from The Dog Story: A Journey into a New Life with Multiple Sclerosis. Diagnosed with MS at 28, Matt started blogging to chronicle his journey with the autoimmune disease: https://mattcavallo.com/

Matt has a great outlook on life with MS. Read what he has to say about his blog:

1.) What inspired you to start blogging? At the age of 28, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which spurred a period of depression in my life. I thought, “Why is life so unfair? Why did I have to experience losing use of my legs, going blind and short term memory loss like early onset Alzheimer’s all before turning 30?” The turning point for me was when I decided to be my own health advocate and dedicate my life to making a difference in healthcare. To see me today, you wouldn’t believe the challenges that I went through. In dedicating my life to healthcare, I earned my Master’s degree in Public Health Administration, worked at a hospital clinic and published two books. My blog is about sharing my knowledge, education and experience from every aspect of healthcare so my readers feel empowered to take control of their health and be their own advocates. I also want to be a source of comfort and support for my readers so if they are experiencing the same things I did, they know that they are not alone. My readers come away with a sense of hope and inspiration and that inspires me to keep writing. 

2.) What would you do with the money if you won? If I won the prize money, I would invest in a video camera and microphone. Most of my readers have some kind of visual impairment due to their various illnesses. A camera and a microphone would allow me to create video blogs that would allow my visually impaired audience to get the same information that my readers receive.

3.) What has been your best blogging moment? While I have gotten to meet celebrities and be featured in notable events because of my writing, my favorite interactions are always the interactions with my readers. Most notably, a woman from upstate New York somehow found my phone number. She called and said she needed to talk. I called her back. She was crying. Through her tears, she said that her husband had MS and could never communicate with her about what he was going through. It was to the point that it was causing problems with their marriage. Then, they started reading my blog and purchased my memoir, The Dog Story. She said that my writing changed their communication. He began to point out things in my blog or book that he was going through. This opened up their communications and saved their marriage. By the end of the call, I was in tears and told her that her story was the reason I share mine. 

Love Matt’s blog? Cast him a vote in the contest here: http://www.healthline.com/health/best-health-blogs-contest