Martin Baum

After several MS relapses Martin is rebuilding his writing career by producing MS-related blogs and articles.

Previously a writer of comedy and satire for stage, radio and satirical clubs, Martin was contracted to write a musical for the Westend and Broadway inspired by his best-selling book, “To Be Or Not To Be, Innit, a Yoof-Speak Guide to Shakespeare.

When the MS bubble bursts

At the age of 60 I wasted what feels like a lifetime inside a bubble of my own making. I burst it only a couple of years ago when I worked it out that it really was better to live life and not MS.

Heart shaped balloon floating in blue sky

Hearts and MS minds

Thinking of others does make a difference, not least because it distracts us from our own troubles. Try it - it works.

Being kind in a post-lockdown society

Being the cockeyed optimist that I am has helped me to not only live life positively with MS but also (hopefully) survive the coronavirus lockdown.

Sleeping with the enemy

My relationship with sleep, like any other relationship, is a complicated one.

Socially isolated but closer than ever

If my own personal circumstances hadn’t changed then self-quarantining could have been completely different by about a hundred miles.

Self-isolation? Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt

For some of us in the MS community, self-isolation is old news.

MS at 60

For my 60th birthday, my wife, son and his partner decided to surprise me with a weekend in Paris.

The power of my walking stick

There’s one thing that will never be on my Christmas list and that’s a new walking stick.

Living with the hidden symptoms of MS

For me, one of the most irritating hidden symptoms is one I’m still yet to discover the name of because not much is made of it.

Still negotiating the MS territory

There are days when I think I’ve got the measure of my MS and I think all is well, considering.

Great feets of endeavour

Blessed with a combination of lack of sensitivity, poor balance and circulatory problems, my feet have become an absolute liability all year round.

How mindfulness helps me manage my MS

It was my wife who first introduced me to the concept of mindfulness. She's always been one step ahead of me when it comes to my wellbeing.

Transitioning to secondary progressive MS

The doctor delivered the diagnosis so matter-of-factly I thought I was having déjà vu.

Let your MS shine

It’s hard to maintain a decent sense of self while simultaneously trying to cope with MS. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Radio 4 MS research review

Caroline Wyatt’s Radio 4 PM programmes about MS research certainly lived up to the BBC’s remit to educate, inform and entertain.

My issues with MS and disabled toilets

The first time I used a disabled toilet was not a pleasant experience. This was the 80s and I was a ‘normal-looking’ young man.

Chasing an MS cure down under

If told that there was a chance of a cure for MS, most people, I imagine, would jump at it. Even if it was on the other side of the world.

EastEnders review - we need respect not pity

The experience of watching the EastEnders story unfold, and reach its conclusion last night, has left me deeply saddened.

Still relevant in an MS world

Being relevant is many things to many people and I am no exception. After one too many MS relapses I stopped writing and it was then I felt I was no longer relevant.

Collecting for the MS Society in the 80s

With the forthcoming MS Awareness Week and World MS Day looming large, I’m put in mind of the first time I was out collecting on the street with a roll of MS Society stickers and a collection box.