Recent Writing
Writing with MS
- The Author
- 14 December 2020
Discovering you have an incurable illness attacking your brain is bad news for anyone, but perhaps especially so for writers...
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JK Rowling 'diagnosed' my MS
- Woman & Home
- 06 February 2020
In a chance meeting, the famous author revealed a truth to Helen Fowler that was confirmed years later.
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JK Rowling asked me if I had MS
- The Scotsman
- 22 September 2019
How I was walking along a Morningside street in Edinburgh with my baby in the pram when I bumped into JK Rowling and she asked me if I had MS.
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How I met my husband
- Exodus Travels
- 04 January 2018
It’s all fifteen years ago now, but it was a fortnight that changed my life - in all sorts of unexpected ways, all of them for the better. Helen Fowler tells us the story of how she met her husband...
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Eilean Donan castle and MS don't mix
- The Scotsman
- 21 July 2017
THE ticket clerk refuses to take any money from me for my visit to Eilean Donan Castle She’s seen me relying on a walking stick to get even as far as the counter, no wonder she’s doubtful about me exploring the precipitous inclines of the castle.
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The ordeal of theatre with MS
- The Scotsman
- 15 March 2017
BALANCE remains elusive, but I put one wobbly foot in front of the other and make my way down to the dress circle in Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre.
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Research brings hope for thinking ahead
- The Scotsman
- 10 January 2017
PROPPED up in bed, I’m glad I can hold the yarn needed for knitting this doll between my thumb and forefinger. Shaking a bit, I wrap the wool around the needle in my right hand and try to create a new stitch. My hands are so shaky that I fumble it. And drop the knitting.
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How becoming ill made me rethink my journalism.
- The Journalist
- 12 December 2016
BEFORE I got my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) two years ago, I used to work as a financial journalist. I was freelance but earning enough to pay the bills by writing about interest rates, inflation and inter-bank activity. I combined this with the occasional stint in public relations, usually for financial services firms.
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Minding the MS gap
- The Scotsman
- 22 November 2016
EVER since the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) two years ago, life has divided into “before” and “after”. Before, I was a hill walker; I was lucky enough to have a job that meant travelling the world; I was free to dream about my future. After MS, I feel grateful if my mobility and strength are good enough to make myself a cup of tea.
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MS and looking to the future
- The Scotsman
- 07 November 2016
PROPPED up in bed, I’m glad I can hold the yarn needed for knitting this doll between my thumb and forefinger. Shaking a bit, I wrap the wool around the needle in my right hand and try to create a new stitch. My hands are so shaky that I fumble it. And drop the knitting. The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) again.
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How camping trip has helped me forget my illness
- The Scotsman
- 24 October 2016
WE’RE sat around the stove, huddling as close to it as we can. I’ve temporarily forgotten about my Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in a more pressing and immediate struggle; trying to keep warm.
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How MS proves the importance of family support
- The Scotsman
- 19 October 2016
The importance of family lies at the heart of Ian Fleming's Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. Seeing the show reminded me how much I rely on my own family for support with my MS.
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