(👆Stu in 2019 near Pigeon Forge Tennessee, six years after by-pass surgery)
Hello, I’m Stu—Mr. Simpson, if you must. But yuck, no thanks!
When you say “Mr. Stuart Simpson,” it sounds so formal, so official, and it makes me feel old, dull, and boring. And I want to be anything but that!
My life is an inspiring story. It’s a journey filled with both trauma and tragedy, yet somehow, I’m still able to live a wonderful life.
It’s incredible! 🎈
One moment, I’m playing golf
and riding my bike.
The next, I need a walker to get around,
but then I’m back on my bike or swinging a club once again.
I’ve done it so many times, and it’s always amazing.
I’ve overcome so much—a quadruple bypass, statin-induced rhabdomyolysis, necrotizing myopathy (also known as Myositis), dyslexia, ADHD, tinnitus, three back fractures, and most recently, two stents.
Myositis—it’s the worst.
The quadruple bypass? A breeze in comparison. And if I had the choice, my answer would definitely be: “I’ll take six quadruple bypasses, please!”
(👆My home away from home, the GHS Hospital (Prisma) Ambulatory Infusion Center in 2018)
Unpredictable Journey
My life has been an emotional rollercoaster for over twelve years now—constantly shifting from one good moment to a bad one, from one high to yet another low.
I’ve been all over the place—one minute, I feel great, and the next, I feel terrible.
It’s been complete madness.
So, let’s talk about it—let me get rid of it and move on.
Quadruple Bypass
In 2013, I had a quadruple bypass.
That part of the story was actually the easiest, even though it wasn’t easy going from the walker to the bike.
Statin-induced Rhabdomyolysis
In 2015, things took a terrifying turn. I was diagnosed with statin-induced rhabdomyolysis. They told me, “We’re not sure what’s wrong with you.”
(👆Stu playing golf during his Myositis Journey in 2020)
Statin-induced Necrotizing Myopathy
The uncertainty stretched on, and in 2016, I made the four-hour drive to Duke Medical for a muscle biopsy.
That’s when I got the official diagnosis: statin-induced necrotizing myopathy, a rare form of myositis—a muscle-inflammatory disease.
That was when I was introduced to my first IVIg infusion, and over the years, I’ve had many more—I still go.
There were moments that doctors called “remission,” but it wasn’t really remission. My numbers were lower, but I still wasn’t well.
It is—and still is—painful, unpleasant, and often feels like they’re throwing drugs at me, trying to find anything that might work.
For years now, I’ve gone in and out of remission—infusion after infusion—relapse after relapse. I’ll spare you the details.
Nerve-wracking Noise
At some point along the way, I started dealing with a nonstop ringing in my ears, called tinnitus.
It’s this nerve-wracking, never-ending noise, all day, every day.
But honestly, who could care about that when I had myositis to deal with?
(👆Prisma Infusion Center Greenville South Carolina 2020)
I’m trying to keep this short, and I don’t want to be a downer, but the truth is: it’s about to get worse.
On the Edge of Falling
In 2022, I thought I was at rock bottom, but really, I wasn’t even near the edge.
I was involved in a horrible car wreck, where I tore my rotator cuff and fractured my back in three places.
It took eight months of recovery—from needing a walker again to getting back on a bike.
When Everything Crumbled
In the fall of 2023, I finally hit rock bottom during one of those lows.
I relapsed, and my body did what it does best—it attacked my muscles.
I’d never experienced anything like it. It was my worst relapse by far.
I was an emotional wreck—depressed, suicidal, desperate, and I didn’t know what to do.
So, I did something I had never done before:
I started to write. And I wrote nearly every day.
In the beginning, it was all day, every day—hours and hours of writing. Honestly, it was more like a rant. I was pounding the keyboard and crying at the same time.
I was pouring out all the pain and anger.
I was pissed, and I had to tell someone.
The only one around? My keyboard.
From Broken to Whole
Eight months of writing, stretching, and rebuilding the muscle I had lost in my arms and legs followed.
Somehow, I went from that walker to riding a bike. I went from struggling to put one plate in the kitchen cabinet to being able to put away an entire stack.
I turned all those negatives into positives and transformed blame and heartache into hopes and dreams.
After months of writing, I realized something—I had written a book. I had captured the story of my life.
It was everything: the depression, the anxiety, the fatigue, and the pain. Yet somehow, I had turned that wave of emotions into joy, love, and thankfulness.
It’s my blueprint—my recipe for how I went from that damn walker to the golf course.
(👆Me before my Steeler’s beat the Chargers in Pittsburgh 2024)
It’s amazing! 🎉
And, hopefully, God willing, it will be coming to a shelf near you.
That’s the goal.
Why I Created This Site
I’m different now. I’m well. (Well, sorta—kind of.) I’m humble. I’m grateful.
I know what I want, and I know it’s simple: I want to live my best life.
I want my life to count for something, and I want to use my gift of intolerable suffering to encourage others that anything is possible.
It’s simple—you just have to believe that it will happen.
I want the world to know that anything is possible. All you need is belief and a positive attitude.
It’s about hope. It’s about believing that things will change. That’s the key!
This site is dedicated to nothing but positivity. My aim is to radiate positive vibes, hope, and dreams.
It’s a promise to myself—and I know it won’t be easy, but I’m committed to giving it my all—even on days when I don’t feel my best.
That’s the point. That’s how you live your best life.
I believe in the power of positivity, and I know just how strong it is.
So, be on the lookout for a book, and stay tuned for more to—🎈See me go!
