It has become clear that we need help covering news in the area.

This is not an excuse for yesterdays posting, but I thought it would be nice if you knew a little something about me and may help you realize what I go through everyday.

11 years ago I was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis), a lot of people have no idea what MS is and how it affects a persons daily life.

In MS, resulting nerve damage disrupts communication between the brain and the body. Multiple sclerosis causes many different symptoms, including vision loss, pain, fatigue, and impaired coordination.

The symptoms, severity, and duration can vary from person to person. Some people may be symptom free most of their lives, while others can have severe chronic symptoms that never go away.

Physical therapy and medications that suppress the immune system can help with symptoms and slow disease progression.

Illustration showing the multiple sclerosis

In the most basic terms think of MS as an electrical wire with it's covering being eaten away exposing the bare wire. Instead if brain signals going directly to where they are supposed to they mis-fire and go off into different directions.

In most cases people with MS have what they want to say in their mind and usually say/type something different and we do not realize it until later.

On top of the MS I have other health conditions which require medications that further make me disoriented and/or incoherent at times.

I am also not a journalist as you would normally see on TV or in Newspapers, I have not had any formal training. I was a TV News Cameraman in New York City for years in the 90's until the MS forced me out of the business.

When Barry Dawson the original creator moved out of the area and could no longer support the local news I approached him to take it over for two reasons. 1. To keep the people of the West End informed on what is going on and 2. to help me with keeping my brain from turning into mush.

For the most part it has kept me active and I do enjoy it, it is the times that I screw up that I do not like as I get attacked. The attacks are understandable for the most part, but they still hurt and get my brain going asking why I want to continue doing this.

Yesterday was still productive as Christopher Eckert (a Chestnuthill Township Supervisor) and I exchanged contact information so that if something does develop over the weekend we can get in touch with each other.

That said I also realize I need help to keep this page/web site going in the right direction. Because I do not drive anymore because of the MS I can not get to many places like Township Meetings in the area as well as events that go on in our area.

If anyone is interested in covering Township Meetings and/or covering news in the area and can write up a story and submit it to us for publishing it would be appreciated. It would be completely volunteer as we do not have money to pay for stories, we are self funded which is why we have Ads by Google on the web site to hopefully help with paying for the server if people click on the ads.

I can say I will try to do better moving forward and as per my MS doctor will be trying out speech/cognitive therapy to help me articulate things better.

Enough rambling, I would like to thank everyone in advance for their understanding. And to those friends that unfriended me yesterday over the original Trump Signs post I truly hope you will friend me again.