My Brain: My Story
Jackie M. Stebbins delivered the global keynote address for The Encephalitis Society's "My Brain: My Story" event.
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Jan 17, 20234 min read
Freedom Ghost
Just recently, I listened to Brené Brown’s two-part podcast with Bono. It was amazing. Most of the conversation revolved around Bono’s...
Jan 6, 202310 min read
Let It Be
In August 2021, I went solo to my first ever TEDx event. And it was a game changer for me. I met a new friend group and was introduced to...
Dec 20, 20224 min read
O Little Town of Bethlehem
My childhood encompassed the late eighties through the nineties. I also grew up in a small town in North Dakota. In those days and in...
Oct 18, 20225 min read
Chosen Family (Pt III)
I don’t have a lot of experience with meeting other AE patients and survivors. My cup of in-person exchanges runneth dry. The first...
Oct 17, 20223 min read
Chosen Family (Pt II)
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of this night for a long time. Maybe not during that first year where I struggled to survive, but...
Oct 12, 20223 min read
Chosen Family (Pt I)
The event was pure magic. Well maybe not magic, no one had a wand or cauldron or a Harry Potter robe, but it was the best night I...
Sep 27, 20223 min read
Suit and Jacket
It’s just a piece of paper. I can tell myself that. It’s a larger piece of thicker paper. With a beautiful green and gold, embossed...
Sep 19, 20224 min read
Big Time
It was the last book signing of the summer. I was driving home from Fargo in the early morning hours, to get back for the kids’ open...
Sep 7, 20222 min read
I Got You Babe
Just another day. Just another vial. Out of habit, start with the left arm and out of necessity, move to the right. One more appointment....
Aug 17, 20223 min read
Turn! Turn! Turn!
Four years. Four years and a few months since that fateful Tuesday when I gave away my DUI case to Lloyd, somehow knowing that I couldn’t...
Aug 7, 20225 min read
Livin' on a Prayer
Leave it to me to bring out a twenty-year-old t-shirt to wear on the second day of the trip. I’ve always been one to find the hilarity in...
Jul 18, 20223 min read
Amazing Grace
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. After I sat for the second day of the bar on a sunny July day in 2009, I walked through the parking lot...
May 26, 20229 min read
I Can See Clearly Now
May 26, 2022 Dear May 26, 2018-Jackie: Today is one of the worst days you’ve lived through in your life, but you’ll hardly remember it....
May 10, 20225 min read
Your Song
“Life always kind of works out,” said my counselor to me a while back. I so badly wanted to argue, and say, Notta. But it really got me...
Apr 26, 20226 min read
Down With the Sickness
We’ve all heard the saying, “That’s about as fun as a colonoscopy.” Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say it, but I’m going...
Apr 5, 20224 min read
I Take My Chances
You’ll recall I’ve turned to high waisted pants these days. I don’t move as quickly as I used to. And I’m starting to embarrass my kids....
Mar 22, 20224 min read
Hello
Yesterday I was listening to a podcast about why blogging is important for your speaking career. (Yip, I’m that awesome. I wasn’t out...
Mar 14, 20221 min read
WED '22 Interview
ICYMI: Jackie joined her friends on the local CBS morning show, Studio 701, for an update on her journey with autoimmune encephalitis and...
Mar 14, 20223 min read
Time Marches On
I have no idea when, but once when I was younger, I asked my dad why we had to change time during the year. He told me very matter of...
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