He Said Saga
The Daughter's Story
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Chapter 6
MY DAD’S RESPONSE
ReadIng my dad’s book again speaks so differently to me with my own MS diagnosis than when I read it before. I often wondered what he would’ve said to me if he could’ve known that I have MS.
In 2020, I found this in his book: April 5, 1994
I have a beautiful wife, Donna, and two wonderful children, Joey (12) and Sarah (10). Sarah just came into the bedroom earlier this evening and saw one of the bound outputs of the Saga.TXT file of my writings. She asked me if she could read about me having MS. I told her it would be fine if her mother approved. Donna did.
I hope you will have an opportunity to download the file and share in my experiences over the past two years. Please keep in mind that while we all have much in common, we are affected quite differently by MS. I was often told that I should just take life one day at a time with the MS and to not make assumptions as to how I might be affected as the years passed. I remember a person at my first support group meeting telling Donna and I not to put things off when we can do them today. We try to live that way today.
OK, let me process this. I was reading about MS at the age of ten. It almost makes me want to take a break and cry, but I’ve learned to move forward and trust. The age of ten! I watched my dad in his experience have hope and fall. I still witnessed the everlasting hope and faith in Jesus. He knew that life is eternal with the Lord. The body is temporary. I can be encouraged and inspired by his life. That fall taught me to keep searching for answers.
After seeing these words, I feel I know what he would share with me if he knew my diagnosis: “Please keep in mind that while we all have much in common, we are affected quite differently by MS. I was often told that I should just take life one day at a time with the MS and to not make assumptions as to how I might be affected as the years passed.”
I feel my dad speaking to me, right now, about knowing that I also have the disease. He was typing to a group of people with MS. I am certain this is what he would respond to me. All MS-ers are affected differently. Do not make assumptions. I find myself incredibly thankful to have these words from my father in these moments. His book was inspirational to many people, but right now, it feels like his book was meant for me. His daughter. He meant so much to me.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Author Sarah Jean Snyder was nine years old when her father was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). She was too young to understand what was happening to her father and her family, but she began to see things falling apart. She watched her father deteriorate and become dependent on others for his care. Little did Sarah know she would receive an MS diagnosis during her lifetime.
In He Said Saga, she shares her story, intertwined with that of her father’s experiences, which he chronicled in a book titled, Saga: One Man’s Battle with MS. The Beginning. She offers snippets and snapshots of her health and faith story.
Snyder tells how, through her father’s circumstances, she learned how to function through sadness, how to trust even with unanswered prayers, and that life isn’t always fair. However, she also learned to focus on the good and be grateful for it. In the end, sickness isn’t the story.
About the Author
Sarah Jean Snyder lives with multiple sclerosis. She is a preacher’s kid, an optician and a mother. She loves the Lord.