Tag: Muscular Dystrophy

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Happy New Year- 2026

Happy New Year! The New Year is here once again. For me, 2025 was not a very good year; there were still some blessings along the way.

Instead of writing a long list of resolutions this year, I plan to write a post about improvement goals for the new year. It’ll be posted over the next week. I started a series of posts early in 2025 that listed the blessings of 2024, focusing precisely on blessings.

To be honest with you, not that I ever intend to lie to you, 2025 was a rough year. There were still blessings along the way, but I’ve had to take the time to look more closely at the year. Was it really that rough of a year? I am exploring that thought. I will post the “Blessings of 2025” over the next few weeks.

Though the year passes and we start another, sometimes the problems persist. The changing of one year to another doesn’t wipe away those issues. However, we can focus on the changes we would like to make in the new year. The new year is a great place to start.

Happy 2026! May you have a blessed year.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Happy 75 Years of Peanuts!

(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs

When I was young, I can remember reading the comics in the Washington Post. The newspaper had three to four pages of strips for readers to choose from. For me, I didn’t care much for most of the comics for whatever reason, but Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz always drew my attention. I can remember not understanding a comic or two, here and there. As I’ve grown older, I’ve gotten to appreciate his work even more. I think it was because the cartoon was so simply drawn and didn’t have much detail in the background, which added to the busyness of the strip. Either way, Peanuts caught my attention and kept it for nearly 60 years. 

I would have liked to have met Charles M. Schulz, who was an incredible guy with a great sense of humor, and to have written the Peanuts comic strip for fifty years. Born on November 26, 1922, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in St. Paul. From an early age, Schulz showed a strong interest in drawing, a passion he shared with his father, a barber. His first published drawing appeared in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Panel, when he was just 15 years old, featuring his family dog, Spike.

After serving during World War II, he returned home to Minnesota, where he began a career as a cartoonist. For a time, he worked as a teacher at Art Instruction, Inc., a correspondence school. In 1947, he began creating a weekly comic panel called Li’l Folks for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, which introduced some of the early character concepts that would later evolve into the Peanuts gang,

Peanuts made its debut on October 2, 1950, in just seven newspapers. The United Feature Syndicate chose the name against Schulz’s wishes, who preferred his original title, Li’l Folks. Schulz retained full creative control over the strip, writing and drawing every single panel himself for nearly 50 years. He was known for his minimalist style, which focused on the characters’ expressions and interactions rather than detailed backgrounds.

The strip features a cast of child characters, most notably the perpetually unlucky but good-hearted Charlie Brown, his introspective beagle, Snoopy, the bossy Lucy van Pelt, her blanket-toting brother, Linus, and many others. Through their daily struggles and philosophical conversations, Schulz tackled universal themes of hope, despair, anxiety, and friendship, resonating with a global audience.

At its peak, Peanuts was syndicated in over 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries and 21 languages, reaching a readership of more than 355 million people. Schulz’s work expanded into a massive cultural phenomenon, including Emmy Award-winning television specials like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” as well as books, films, and merchandise.

Throughout his career, Schulz received numerous accolades, including the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Award twice and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Charles M. Schulz drew his final Peanuts strip on January 3, 2000, announcing his retirement due to his declining health. He passed away from colon cancer on February 12, 2000, just hours before his final original Sunday comic strip was published. His legacy continues to be celebrated, with the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California, dedicated to his life and work.

When I was younger, like 10 years old or so, I can remember my parents, my brother, and I had a family tradition of watching the Peanuts shows on TV. We would make a bathroom stop, gather our snacks and drinks, and huddle around the TV together to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Once the show started, we weren’t moving from our seats unless we absolutely had to do so. Back then, the commercial breaks were only about a minute or two, giving the show’s sponsors their moment, unlike today, where you can almost bake a batch of cookies during the commercial break. 

Sometimes I feel like I am Charlie Brown, where it seems like everything goes wrong whenever it can go wrong. Heaven forbid, something would go right when you want it to go right. But that’s, of course, not entirely accurate for me. If you know me, I’m pretty positive about life, but I have my Charlie Brown moments. Maybe I’m more like Snoopy—care-free, with a wild imagination, and adventurous. I have two close best friends, though they are a bit bigger than Woodstock, they are just as fun. And, there is definitely a lot of Schoeder in me. Though I have more than Beethoven in my classical music listening interests, going well before him in the Baroque Period and continuing for a few years after his life in the Romantic Period. Sometimes I think I have a bit of Lucy in me when I share thoughts about life with a young friend —except I don’t charge a nickel. Linus’s constant toting of a blanket for security is an example of how I use my service dog to help me through the difficult times with Charcot-Marie-Tooth and mobility issues. I don’t suck my thumb though. Maybe this is why I have loved Peanuts all these years: I can relate to the characters; they hit home and always seem to be looking for happiness.

I think one of the reasons I have loved Peanuts over the years so much is that it’s a clean cartoon. There isn’t any filthy talk, inappropriate innuendos, or adult drama prevalent in quite a bit of media. It focuses on the plights of the anxieties and observations of childhood with wit and poignancy, of which most of us relate. At times, like in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Schulz included the Bible Story of Christ’s Birth, which made me wonder whether he was a Christian.  The thought was encouraging, as he always kept his cartoons in a family, maybe Christian, tone, so just about anyone who can read can.  

Happy 75th Anniversary, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Pig Pen, Rerun, Franklin, and the rest of the gang! Thank you for being the bright, happy spot in my life! 

(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: The Journey to Wearing Arizona Braces, Part 5, “The Advantages”

(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs

A friend of mine suggested that I write a post specifically focusing on the advantages of wearing the Arizona Braces. Thankfully, she thought of this idea as it’s a good one. Before I share them, you can read the other parts of this series by following this link to the first post,  Charcot-Marie-Tooth: My Journey to Using Arizona Braces.

After wearing the Arizona Braces for a few weeks to break them in, I discovered several advantages to this product. By advantages, I mean instead of going without braces, which is something I could do, but have learned not to do very often, for long distances, or most yard chores. 

The braces support my ankles. My ankles turn out and twist when I walk, which puts me at a higher risk of spraining or breaking them. That is a trait of most Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) patients. I guess that if I broke my ankle, it would be harder for a doctor to repair due to the deformity in my feet. Since braces provide support for my ankles, the concern that I will turn my ankle on every step is gone.

This definitely reduces the stress of constantly watching where I walk.

I tend to lose my balance. I can be walking or standing still, and all of a sudden, I lose my balance. It’s as if the legs lose their strength, especially when I am standing. However, the braces prevent that from becoming a nasty fall. 

I can go the distance. In the early days of my life, I could walk for a considerable distance without any challenges. As time went on and CMT progressed, the distance began to shorten. While I can still walk almost a half-mile without braces, wearing good supporting walking shoes, I cannot go much further. 

With my Arizona Braces, over time, not immediately, I have been able to walk nearly four miles with my dog! By not immediately, I mean that my dog and I worked up to it over time.

Considerably less pain and cramps in my legs and feet. Although there is pain during the break-in period of using Arizona Braces, eventually it goes away. Additionally, the severe pain in my feet, especially at the end of the day, which I had before getting them, is gone. I wish that the pain were permanently gone, but when I am on my feet for a very long day, I have pain, like most people do.

The great point to this is that I can be on my feet for an eight-hour day doing yard work and experience significantly less pain than I would without braces.

The Arizona Braces give me the strength to start my John Deere X590 and mow my yard. I have tried to start it without them, and it’s challenging to do so. Additionally, I can drive the mower more efficiently with more strength while wearing them. 

The braces allow me to do yard work more easily. I have noticed this year, in particular, that the braces enable me to lift large bags of mulch to spread throughout my gardens much more easily than I can without them. Actually, I probably could not move or carry the bags without them.

I am more excited to do an activity. I am more likely to go and do whatever comes up with my braces than I would without them. 

Twists, turns, and moving fast are now easy. While I don’t typically make fast turns or twists or move quickly on my feet, as I still pay attention to how I walk, I find these maneuvers to be easy to do. After I found myself doing a quick “about-face” maneuver, I realized I had done it successfully.

There are multiple options for braces. I recommend meeting with an Orthopaedic Surgeon and/or a Director of Orthotics and Bracing to help you choose the best option.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Happy Independence Day!

(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs

I almost let Independence Day pass without writing, as my schedule has been crazy busy this season. Between nearly 23″ of rain that has caused delays in finishing up my yard work, as I usually have everything planted and mulched by June 20, a new workout routine at the gym that’s requiring a bit more time, and a few other essential events in life, I have been overwhelmed. However, today has a history of good memories that I like to reflect on.

When I was a young boy, my parents would take us to my mother’s Aunt Mary’s house for a huge July 4th family reunion picnic. I had already been visiting with my grandmother before my parents came to visit. When we would head out to the celebration, I always wondered how many trains I would miss, as she lived near the busy Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tracks. How many? I will never know.

As we headed to the party, we always had a bit of a tradition of our own. Especially when we got to Pinch Ridge, WV. My father always felt the need to pinch my mother at that location. Later in life, I would do the same to my wife when we visited. I would get into the same trouble with my wife as my father had all those years.

When I was young, I didn’t appreciate the beauty of family reunions as much as my mother did. For her, it was a time to catch up with her parents, sister, brother, a few aunts, uncles, and cousins. She looked forward to it from the moment we got home from one to the time we attended the following year.

When I look back on those events, I realize that I was more introverted then than I am now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an introverted nerd and proud of it. I didn’t enjoy the reunions because there wasn’t anyone my age with whom I could play. I would enjoy a few hikes in the woods, watching for snakes at every single step, or a hike up to the top of the knob. My mother’s aunt lived on the side of a mountain. You could hike to the top of it by walking up the side. It was called a knob because their driveway circled it. When we got back to grandmother’s house, I would look up and down the railroad tracks, hoping to see a train or two to make up for missing the whole day. What I didn’t know at the time was that most, if not all, trains weren’t running due to the holiday.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized the importance of family, even when you’re an introverted nerd and want to sit by the railroad tracks all day, waiting for the trains to roll by. Family is more important than that. I realized that fact many years ago and have enjoyed visiting those relatives still living. Thankfully, I spent time with family closest to me before they passed away, and I couldn’t get together with them.

My mother’s side of the family is where I inherited Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). Though I didn’t understand, or care about all that, as life was an adventure of exploring, as it should be for a young boy. I remember the family sharing their aches and pains, dealing with the disease. At the time, it wasn’t comforting to know that I could have to deal with that. However, that’s not necessarily true. CMT has various strains that affect people in different ways. Even if my brother and I had CMT Type 2, our symptoms weren’t necessarily the same. In the back of my mind, I think hearing what others had to say about the disease was an encouragement to fight against it.

Today is the 249th birthday, Independence Day, of our country. Remember to be thankful for the country and freedoms we have. Have a blessed fourth!

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: A Support Group Picnic

(C) Photo by Flickr: Virginia State Parks

I spent a recent Sunday afternoon at the Central Virginia Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) Support Group picnic. That isn’t something I would normally do, much less want to do. However, I joined the online Zoom meetings about a year or so ago. I was thrilled to find a group that meets online, with any in-person meetings held in the central Virginia area. I had wanted to participate in the Northern Virginia, but driving to the meetings was too much for me.

However, for me, attending an event online is far easier than attending one in person. Mostly because I am an introverted nerd. I attempted to attend last year’s picnic event, but the weather was too hot for my wife and service dog. If one of them can’t go, I won’t. So, I was looking forward to the picnic.

I was asked to speak to the group about the benefits of a Service Dog. Since I have had one for many years now, I felt qualified to discuss my benefits. I’ll share these in another post.

My wife, Abby, my service dog, and I gathered a few things and piled into our car to head to the picnic. We stopped at the local Popeyes for chicken and some sides to share with others. The smell of fried chicken filled the car as we headed to the event. I was tempted several times to pull the vehicle over and pig out on the chicken, but I didn’t. I kept going.

We arrived at the picnic, had lunch, and I discussed the benefits of having a service dog. The food was delicious, the company was awesome, and my talk went well. A few others with CMT are considering service dogs. As I age, I have found having a service dog priceless.

What I didn’t expect was the good time we all had discussing our challenges with CMT. It wasn’t a negative time, as facts are facts. We shared what’s wrong, what works, and what doesn’t. Several methods of treatment work quite well to help with mobility and overall feeling good, which can help with a better quality of life.

While I do not like to see other people suffer, the time spent helped make dealing with my physical challenges a bit easier. I guess it’s because I know I am not the only one.

To learn about support groups or other events for CMT patients, you can visit the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Happy Mother’s Day

(C) 2025, Isaiah Jacobs

It seems the holiday snuck up on me this year. Easter was later than usual, and I’ve been busy doing other things that have kept me busier than normal. It seems like the days and weeks are going faster than ever.

Either way, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to wish all the mothers on my email list a happy Mother’s Day! May your day be filled with many blessings.

My mother went on to heaven in early 2011. Though it’s been fourteen years since she passed, I still miss her especially around Mother’s Day and her birthday. Of course, there are other occasions, but those are the biggest reminders.

My mother had Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). She was a huge encourager for me to keep going and never give up. I don’t remember her ever being negative about it, so maybe that’s part of where I get my attitude.

My mom was a stay-at-home mom. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, as almost every mom seemed at home. She enjoyed raising her boys and was there when I needed her. I remember her doing that during my college and career years. She had a knack for letting go of some of the “mom” things that I wouldn’t appreciate after I became an adult, and she became a friend. She never let go of sharing what she thought was “best” or “good” for me.

My mom instilled in me a creative side and a love for gardening and being outdoors. She loved photographing, painting, planting flowers, and caring for them.

Mom was a devout Christian, too. She never wavered in her beliefs about God, Jesus, and the Bible. She volunteered in many areas of the church, including leading the youth, which I did not like at the time. Her Christian faith was a strong part of her and how she was. She wasn’t one to go to church on Sunday morning, then be something else the rest of the week.

I could write pages about my mom, I’m sure you could too. I hope you have a blessed day with your mom. If not by being with her, by a phone call.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: May You Have a Blessed Easter!

(C) 2023, Isaiah Jacobs

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”

– Matthew 28:6
May you have a Blessed Easter!

Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter is always a humbling time for me. Think about it.

As I have lived my life, I have accomplished the stuff that most men do. I married a beautiful woman, raised a few furry children, worked a career, and retired to travel and gardening. I am an average guy going through life.

What humbles me is that I cannot fathom why someone would give their life for me so that I could spend eternity in heaven should I choose to believe in Jesus and follow Him. But Jesus did exactly that. He was crucified on a cruel cross and rose on Easter Sunday to conquer death for our sins.

If you want to learn more about what Jesus did for us, please visit To Know God.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: My Season of Rest- Daylight Saving Time

It’s unbelievable how fast the Fall and Winter seasons have gone this year. My usual saying, “It seems like only yesterday,” really comes into play because it does seem like I was just saying, “Oh, I dread this cold weather coming in… spring weather, please get here soon.” Well, it’s not spring yet, but the temperatures have warmed a bit in my area, just enough to make me look forward to getting outside.

I looked forward to the winter season a little this year because it is my least busiest time of year. I get a bit of a reprieve from my crazy warm weather schedule. Also, I had a long list of indoor projects I wanted to complete. The first snow of the season, which kept me home for a few days, was spent doing one of the larger projects.

The winter season was one of the snowiest and coldest in several years. We may have had record lows, too. The snowfall was around the average for the entire season, but it seemed to come all at once in two different storms. An average of 24” a season wasn’t broken this year, though when shoveling and sweeping it away, it sure seemed to be much more than that. It was nice that it was mostly snow and not much ice.

I have gotten into a habit during the warm season when I am busy doing my outdoor chores of creating a list of projects to get done in the late fall to winter months. It works great, and I don’t have to spend precious minutes inside on warm days. I am pleased that I accomplished most of my indoor projects and have only a few to finish before the yard work season starts.

Now that Daylight Saving Time is here, my season of rest will change to a season of “GO! GO! GO!” as I return to mowing the yard, walking the dog more and probably longer, planting in my flower garden, and all its associated chores, and ending each day sitting outside reading a book and listening to classical music with my dog curled up beside me. 

Today as I go throughout my day, I will set the clocks that I don’t use much during my Saturday one hour ahead. This way, I not forget to do it later today and will be on time to church tomorrow morning.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Hearing God’s Whispers by Mabel Matthews

(C) 2024, Mabel Jone Matthews, EdD

Disclaimer: Though I mention a product in this post and share a link for you to purchase, I do not receive any compensation. Also, I did not receive any free product as compensation.

About a year or so ago, my sister told me about an opportunity to write my testimony for a book that was soon to be published. I read the requirements for sharing my story to find it a good fit.

My journey fighting Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) has been an ongoing battle for sixty-two years. I give myself a bit of a break because I didn’t know in my childhood nor pay attention to it in my youth, so I have been actively fighting it since my early-twenties. It still feels like quite a long battle.

At the beginning of my fight, around age 22, the Lord God spoke to me in a way I would never forget. The few minutes in my college day would shape my life forever.

In her new book, Hearing God’s Whispers by Mabel Matthews, I have been blessed to share the story about God speaking to my heart about CMT and “He will be my strength and ability.”

The book is a collection of testimonies and stories about how God has spoken to people of various backgrounds, providing insight into His Workings through many people.

The book is divided into four chapters: Hope, Healing, Obedience, and Spiritual Clarity. Each chapter addresses a specific topic that the reader may be going through or seeking God’s Guidance or Encouragement. Reading “Hearing God’s Whispers” might open your eyes to when God has spoken to you, whether you were aware of it or ignored it.

I shared my testimony of God’s Love for me as I live with Charcot-Marie-Tooth not to say, “Look at me!” but to say “See what God can do!” May this book, my testimony, or someone else’s be the words you are looking for from God.

If you would like to obtain a copy, please visit Amazon. Available in hardback or Kindle.

If you are looking to know God, or curious about the Christian Faith and becoming a Christian, please visit To Know God.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth: New Year’s Revelations

Are you familiar with the age-old idea of making New Year’s Resolutions, where you list ways to improve yourself and use New Year’s Day as a starting point? I’m at it again this year.

For many years in my younger days, I made New Year’s Resolutions and did my best to keep them. This usually lasted until around the 20th or so of January. Amidst all that, I was constantly restarting the New Year, meaning restarting the resolutions on the 23rd meant that it was the New Year for the resolutions. It got old along about February 3rd. I did my best to keep whatever resolutions were left to keep. Along about June – July, I would take a trip to the beach where I would walk and evaluate my progress.

New Year’s Resolutions are good as long as you don’t try to conquer too many things all at once. In other words, I always managed to fail when I tried to reinvent myself by using a starting point of January 1. Eventually, I changed the New Year’s Resolutions to New Year’s Revelations because it would be a revelation if I really managed to make the changes.

This year, though I know it is hard to improve on perfection, I have decided to make some revelations for 2025. So here we go:

First and foremost of importance, I want to read my devotions and Bible more regularly. As I have had to change my morning routines more than a few times, and have had some battles with fatigue and exhaustion this past year, I found myself not reading my devotions and Bible as often as I should. Unfortunately, the old brain is forgetful, and it happened. Recently, I reminded myself that my tablet has access to devotions and my Bible. I have it with me everywhere around the house. So, there I go. 

Second, read as many books as possible in the year, aiming for at least twelve. A few years ago, my chiropractor told me that Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) can affect the brain. I haven’t taken the time to read up on this yet, but it concerned me as he seems to know quite a bit about the disease. He suggested reading more often. 

My goal for 2025 is to read a book a month. This year, I plan to list what I read, as it could be that I am already reading more books than I realize. I tend to finish one and go on to another. 

Ideally, I would like to read through my Bible Prophecy library books by July. That, however, would be impossible for even the fastest and most intelligent readers unless they had all day and night to do nothing but read. That being said, I plan to read as many of these books as possible this year. 

Third, listen to more music and watch less TV. In early 2024, I got back into my favorite classical music hobby. I had a medical procedure in late 2023 that caused me to have to rest for three weeks. When I came home from the procedure, I went to bed to rest. I had my tablet when I started thinking about what I enjoyed and could enjoy while recuperating. Though I hadn’t waited until the last minute to prepare for this, I did a web search on classical music. I had forgotten how valuable the internet could be for someone interested in music. So, the exploring began.

I discovered the wonderful world of streaming concerts from around the globe via Medici.TV, Symphony.Live, and Stage+. As a result, I found myself enjoying my CD collection and cataloging purchases as much as I did years ago.

 Over the past few months, I have left the TV off and played classical CDs in the mornings while writing or doing my online church work. Unexpectedly, but not surprised, I found that my stress levels went down as I didn’t have the TV noise on as much. Also, there were plenty of moments when the music was so sublimely beautiful it was incredible. That alone was worth keeping the TV off.

I will continue my workouts in 2025, possibly adding a day and a routine. About a year ago, I started working out at a Wellness Center in my town. As a result, I have increased my strength, improved my confidence, am feeling much better, and even made a few friends along the way.

I will continue my workouts in 2025, possibly adding a day and a routine. About a year ago, I started working out at a Wellness Center in my town. As a result, I have increased my strength, improved my confidence, am feeling much better, and even made a few friends along the way. 

However, I am not much on working out. I go twice a week because I know that I will feel better if I do so. If I do not work out, the pains of CMT will become annoying again, and I don’t want that. It would be good for me to workout three days a week. In these winter days, I would have time to do it. When the weather changes to spring and the outdoor chores return, it will not be possible. So, am giving thought to adding the third day. 

Also, my exercise specialist gave me a list of exercises I can do at home to firm up the old man’s gut. I am going to start doing them. 

And finally, there have been too many times in 2024 when I neglected to walk my dog. It is a great exercise for both of us. She and I love getting outside and exploring. My goal is to make walking her a priority. 

By the end of 2025, I should be even more perfect than I already am. I think these efforts will be worth it!

Happy New Year!