Lynda Kaye Frazier, USA Today Best Selling Author

If you gave Mental anguish a voice, what would it be? Would it be angry, controlling, or a cry for help? There is no wrong answer. It could be all the above, or just a darkness that swallows your soul. And it doesn't matter what label you give it, whether it be Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, BiPolar, Autism, and numerous more, the list is long. We are so good at putting a name to a disorder, but lack in seeing the seriousness of it all. We get lost in making sure the person behind the label is given every tool they need to get through the obstacles that they have to overcome. I have lived with, and dealt with, many family members fighting through the darkness of depression. I have held a loved one struggling the demons of a manic attack. I fought against voices I could not see to give a little hope to the lost soul wrestling to gain control of their mind. Whether their struggle started at birth, or was a result of an incident beyond their control, we need to not shun them. Mental ...

As I got older, my eyes got weaker. Something I blamed on age. It never crossed my mind that it was my lifestyle. Boy was I wrong. I went to the doctor, and had an eye opening experience. No pun intended. I work during the day as an ultrasound tech, which means I am in front of a computer, with the lights dimmed for eight hours. Then at night I’m in front of the computer working on my next story. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, I found out how wrong my lifestyle was for my eyes. I was told that my eyes had weakened over the last six months, mainly due to overuse, and strain. Now I understand strain, but how do you overuse your eyes? I can’t take them out, or elevate them with an ice bag. I know, bad medical humor but I couldn't help it. After some research, and a long lecture from my ophthalmologist, I found out that my eyes will continue to get worse unless I make some changes. I love my job, and I love to write, as do so many of you. So I’m go...

As my sister battles with Multiple Sclerosis I decided to read up on treatments, therapies and basically what other people thought about it. What an eye opener. The labels people put on others just amaze me. MS effects the whole body. It doesn't discriminate against anything so the mind is effected also. The one thing that my sister hates the most is how it effected her memory. Leaving her in what she calls a brain fog. That's where the human ignorance amazed me. I actually found statements from individuals on chat forums stating that once it effected the minds of the patient they should just stay home so they didn't get lost or forget what they were doing when they went out. That about says it all. MS doesn't mean that their stupid, or slow. So my words to everyone is don't judge. You cannot tell me you've never walked into another room and stopped, wondering why you went there. Or searched the house looking for your keys to find them in your pocket. ...

As a writer I research a lot of events, places and different life styles for my stories. But when my sister was diagnosed with MS my research took on a whole new meaning. I searched the web for anything that would make her life easier. New therapies, drug trials, life aids that would make tasks simpler but nothing prepared me for the day I realized I couldn't buy something to make this go away. MS is a life long disease. It effects the person diagnosed and their family. My sister was diagnosed in 2006. She has always been a very strong and independent person, and still is, just with a few modifications.  We realized a few months ago that it was getting harder for her to stay on her own. Her leg was getting weaker and the effects on her arm made simple tasks like getting dressed more difficult by the day. We made a family decision, and my sister made a difficult journey from being on her own to living with me. I know how hard that was for her and I admire her for what she go...

                                                                                              Mental shut down When you have MS your mental capacity is limited on some days. Weather it be from medication or the effect of the disease on the brain itself you just feel like your brain shuts down. This is also what writers call a mental block. Finishing up a simple scene seems impossible. You get to a point in your writing where the flow stops, your brain shuts down and you just sit there and stare at the blank screan in front o...

MS Monday was a little late this week because of a balance issue. So this will be MS awareness on how to balance on your feet and in your life. Our world is a balancing act. Some of us are great at it and some just wing it as things happen. But we all agree that the smallest thing can throw us off. When you have MS it really doesn't take much to throw you off kilter. Just a muscle spasm can send your whole day crashing down around you. My sister is struggling with her balance right now and we decided to think ahead. Be ready for anything that life can throw at her. She owns a couple of canes, and depends on them for support. We purchased a walker for days when a cane just won't work, but there are days in between the two. Ones where a cane is not enough, yet a walker is too much so we went to an orthopedic store and went shopping. I know, women do love to shop but this was not the store either one of us planned on ever having to venture into. We tried on ...

Multiple Sclerosis has changed more than just my sisters life, it has altered mine also. She was diagnosed in 2006 and I never realized the impact it made on her everyday life until about a year ago. She went into a crisis and ended up in the hospital. Once she was released from the hospital she was left with some devastating changes that ended her ability to be independent. She had to depend on her husband for simple tasks at first. Carrying laundry downstairs, cleaning the shower and simple household chores that she was not able to do anymore. Over time her ability to get up the stairs without assistance ended, but the real turning point for her was when she was not able to open a jar of peanut butter. Her hand would not grip anymore and she threw the jar across the room. Yah, that's just how she felt, and so did I. We take the simplest things for granted until that ability is taken from us. I felt helpless and she did also. With all the changes she was going through,...