[Anonymous]

#1020072

Hello fellow Graves’ warriors,

I know it’s been awhile since I dropped a note and let you know what’s been going on in Jan and my life. I was talking to Dr. Nancy Patterson the other night and giving her some good news. She suggested I write this note to you all.

When I was newly diagnosed with Graves’ disease I truly wondered if life would ever get back to normal. At that time I was just so tired and my eyes were horrible. There were days I was so tired that when I got home from work I had to sit in the car for half an hour to get up the energy to walk in the door. Now it’s 12 years later and we are considering early retirement.

I’ve been volunteering with the Graves’ disease foundation for over 10 years. I co-wrote a book on Graves’ disease with Nancy, six years ago. Since then I’ve had three other books published. I went to work for a publishing house as an editor. Last February I was promoted to senior editor. This past week I was offered a full partnership and accepted a position as the new acquisition director. I do it all over the Internet and via e-mail. I’m the guy who looks at the new talent coming in and makes the initial decision on what should be considered by our publisher or not.

I went from having no energy, no hope, and only a vague hope that things would be better. 12 years later I am a published author, a senior editor and a partner at a publishing house. There is life after Graves’ disease. I just had to remember that we did not get sick overnight therefore we do not get better overnight.

Jan and I will continue to help keep the bulletin board running and help in training new support group leaders and facilitators. However, the 40 plus hours a week that we donated to the Graves’ disease foundation will be reduced. We will still be here, in a different capacity and still helping. I am just so happy to say that with my better health our life situation has improved tremendously. We owe so much to the Graves’ disease foundation that we will be lifelong volunteers, members and mentors. But this is the reason you have not seen us too much on the board. Life has offered us a wonderful opportunities and we feel well enough to pursue them.

So you’ll still see us around. We are always here waiting to help when needed. I just wanted to tell you that there is life after Graves’ disease and even on your darkest day you need to know that the sun will come up tomorrow, you will slowly start to feel better and one day this will just be a memory.

I always try to look at the bright side of things. Another reason I’m backing off some is non-graves related. Many of you know that I have a benign tumor in my spinal cord, in my neck. Right now the doctors don’t want to operate on it. As a result I live on daily pain medicine and I’m losing my ability to use my hands. Imagine that a writer and editor who cannot type. However, due to a very fantastic voice recognition software writing program my ability to write is even better now than it used to be. Who knew?

So the good creator willing, we are looking at early retirement and pursuing my writing and editing career with vigor. Six years ago Jan and I started our homebased editing service and things are really taking off. All of my books except “The Red Man In Me” can be ordered from Amazon or at your local book store.

We love you guys and were still here, just not as visible.

Jake George
Online facilitator

Co-author “Graves’ Disease In Our Own Words”
Author “The Red Man In Me” http://www.themysticalindian.com
Author “Grandfather’s Song” http://www.grandfatherssong.com
Author “A New Dawn” http://www.anewdawn.biz
Owner Sage Words Services http://www.sagewordsservices.com
Acquisition Director Virtual Tales Publications http://www.virtualtales.com

[Author]

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