Momentum Magazine

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Hey, look, it’s Wheels & Red on the cover of Momentum Magazine! This issue focuses on disability and desire, which is a cringeworthy yet very important subject for so many people.

Meg and I have always been very honest about our relationship and share our struggles openly. We understand as much as anyone that it’s really easy for intimacy to dwindle as married life goes on; kids, jobs, stress, and chronic illness have a tendency to push it even further to the back burner. But when Momentum approached me about doing an interview for the article they were writing, I paused and thought to myself, “Should I really put this out there?” And that pause is exactly why I decided to go through with sharing some of the most intimate details of our relationship. 

Did you know that a whopping 75% of people diagnosed with MS have some sort of sexual dysfunction? That’s too big of a topic to be ignored, or paused, or glazed over to keep people from cringing. Struggling in the bedroom is no walk in the park for a relationship; it can cause a dangerous cycle of stress, frustration and disappointment when the subject is approached without love or compassion. 

Since the magazine has been published, a lot of my ultra supportive friends and family have called me brave for putting it out there; but really, I just want to break down that stigma of sexual dysfunction and the harm it can cause. For anyone struggling with this, creativity is key. Open hearts, open minds and understanding for each other are also very important. 

Mostly, just remember: this doesn’t automatically make you unworthy, this doesn’t make you less than, this doesn’t make you undesirable. This is just another speed bump that you might need to slow down and take your time with. 

Check out the article!

Wheels and red on the cover of Momentum Magazine, PNW

The Mike Herrera Hour, a punk rock talk radio podcast.

The Mike Herrera Hour

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Mike Herrera and Kellen Prouse, a Multiple Sclerosis blogger, pose for a podcast photo.

I have been a huge fan of Mike Herrera since way back…1996 way back. Mike is the lead singer of MXPX and Tumbledown. He is a talented musician and producer that also runs Monkey Trench Studios. For MS Awareness month I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Mike on his podcast, The Mike Herrera Hour. We chatted about MS, MMJ and all around bettering yourself with the internet.

It’s not everyday you get to chat with your teenage self’s punk rock hero; a big thanks to Mike for giving me this opportunity. Check it out!

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man with top and derby cane in the PNW

When you gotta go

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Where’s the restroom?

There are so many symptoms with MS, that a bunch of them often get glanced over. The one that has been the most active for me lately is incontinence. The opposite of constipation, incontinence is where your bladder is going to empty NOW; with as little notice as possible. I never thought that at 31, I would be like my grandmother and know where every bathroom in the county is. It can be super frustrating when out of nowhere, you have to go. Basically, my bladder’s alarm doesn’t go off early enough.

Bowel and bladder problems are no stranger to the MS community. In my many years of talking with all sorts of folks diagnosed with MS, so many have shared my struggle. There is a special bond created when openly telling someone that you — a grown-ass, bill paying adult — has pissed your pants. Most likely in public. And they understand…because they have, too.  

Needless to say, hitting the road can be tricky; but we love to adventure so we make it work. My solution? An empty gallon jug in the car at all times. When it’s time to go, it’s time to go. There is no planning or waiting for the next gas station. 

To those who experience this: you are not alone. I, myself have pissed my pants walking down the sidewalk in Seattle; on the way to a doctors appointment, ironically. As embarrassing as that was (pee smells, folks), it almost feels worse when it happens at home. Ever had to drop a log in a dark gravel parking lot on Halloween? Yeah, me neither…*ahem*. I can guarantee these won’t be my only bathroom fail stories, and when I tell them I wear them like a badge of honor. The plus side is, I can go just about anywhere. 

I bet there’s a long list of medications that help with this sort of thing, but at what trade off? I would rather just work with what I’ve got…unless they produce something with side effects that make everything taste like pizza. Incontinence issues are just a small piece of the MS puzzle, but when you add them together it can be daunting. These are just a few on the so-called “invisible symptoms”. They just happen to be invisible because they are embarrassing as hell. 

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Make Yourself Foundation

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Recently I reached out to the guys from Incubus and was stoked when I heard back from their manager. With the band being super busy with touring they hooked me up with the Make Yourself Foundation. MYF is the bands charitable foundation where they do all sorts of cool things for people.  We had a chat on the phone and they were all about featuring my story on the MYF blog. Go check it out, Wheels & Red getting down with Incubus!

 

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Check it out now

The Ink Master

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October 23, 2013

I was scrolling through my twitter feed when I saw that Oliver Peck was in town hangin’ with his buddy Mike Herrera. I totally sent him a fan girl tweet about being in my hometown.

I was stoked when he invited me to join them at one of the rad local bars. My awesome wife said “What are you waiting for? Go meet Oliver Peck!”.

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It was easy to find him, being that he was surrounded by all the local tattoo artists. I thought I was a fan girl.

Finally got my photo.

selfie with Oliver Peck in the Manette Saloon Bremerton Washington

Just an average Wednesday night chillin with @OLIVER_PECKer

 

It was Open Mic Night, so he had to get up and sing some Tom Petty.

Jack Parker and Oliver Peck

Not a bad for a regular ass Wednesday in October.

 

 

Beach with the pups

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The pups and I headed down to our neighborhood beach front the other day and had some fun playing fetch. Mollie is all about that water…as long as it ain’t in a bathtub.border collie and Boston Terrier sitting on PNW beach

When i’m at the beach I can’t help but look around for some treasure. All I found was a blue hardhat and a non working flashlight. Not too shabby.

They have been updating and replacing the docks at the Brownsville Marina for the last few months so I’m guessing the hardhat and light are from there. Not a typical beach find but hey i’ll take it!

Them views.

I spotted this little guy when I was packing up to leave. I did have to poke it…for science. It was indeed dead. All in all a pretty sweet trip to the beach.

Knowledge Is Power

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It’s finally here!!

In March we flew down to LA to be a part of a really cool project called Knowledge Is Power. It’s a 9 part video series that’s meant to help people who are newly diagnosed with MS find some answers.

We had an awesome time shooting these videos and we made a ton of rad new friends. You can check out the post Trek To Cali to see photos from our trip.

A huge thanks to all the great people it took to make these videos.

Check out Wheels & Red in the first 9 videos

Learning to fly

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I’m fighting a wicked battle of blogger’s block, so forgive me for slacking off recently. Can I claim procrastination as an MS symptom?! Life has been full to the brim; full of awesome things…and a few not so awesome things. The awesomest of all, Meg left her job at mywedding.com! It’s been a long time coming, but she can now focus on her photography full time. Since then this house has been so full of laughter and creativity. Just the way we like it.

On the other end of the awesome scale, there was a septic backup *and* my first root canal on the same day. Yeah, real fun. Those weren’t so bad as when the gravity of my first Tysabri infusion finally sank in. The infusion itself wasn’t that bad, but the allergic reaction I had made for a pretty stressful experience. Mixing my allergic reaction with the risk of getting an incurable brain infection made me reconsider whether this is something I truly want to do. And for now at least, it’s not. I have decided not to continue treatment. After digging into the research, I’m not satisfied with the numbers; so I’m not accepting the risk for big pharma. This means that for the first time since my diagnosis I will be off all disease modifying therapies for MS. Not to worry though, because I live a healthier life than ever before. Plus, I have all I need: the support of my best friend.

When I step back and look at the big picture, I love where I’m at. So many things that once started out shitty ended up leading to pretty awesome things. So for now we are letting go of the norm and learning to fly. Life is good.