I knew I wasn’t much of a daredevil or a proactive type, especially when it came to technology – let alone those innovative, state-of-the-art technologies. Even as computers were becoming commonplace in mainstream society, I stayed at the back of the queue. And that was never any problem at all, or not for me at least. I knew I had other qualities. Like when I accomplished my final research paper at teachers’ training college in 1993. Someone I knew at the time lent me a behemoth of a computer. Even back then, he was convinced I was quite seriously impaired by my pen and paper use. And after realising how convenient it was, I went ahead and bought my own computer within a year’s time. But although I was proud of having done so, I was still completely devoid of any interest or daring.

Digital out of sheer necessity

Medical issues were to provide the push for my reluctant entry into the digital world. In fact, my illness actually made me into an IT teacher, or at least one of sorts. In 1999, I was told I had multiple sclerosis (MS). At the time, I’d been teaching in secondary special education for several years, and I kept that up even after my diagnosis. But in June 2003 I had to throw in the towel. So what now? Fortunately for me, the headmaster offered me a new job. Me? Working with computers? Well … in my own way, I now know what I’m talking about when I observe that health and IT – or nowadays I suppose I should say eHealth – have become almost inseparably linked. But it’s all in how you look at it, of course. Sick is sick, and there’s nothing digital about that – unless robotic humans exist.

Though I initially did a good job of closing the gap, at some point I could no longer keep up with the meteoric pace of the actual technological revolution. Smartphones, tablets? I’ve never held one in my hands, nor have I ever run an app or swiped a screen. All in all, I stayed on working there for five more years until I went onto full incapacity benefit. Over 10 years have passed since then, and my illness and I have both been progressing steadily. In a physical sense, I can no longer do anything at all – save being completely dependent on care services and my electric wheelchair. Yet mentally I feel stronger than ever. I might call it my second life. Complete incapacity for work, bodily deterioration and divorce have forced me to relearn how to live my life. That’s worked out fine so far if I do say so myself. I think I can give my life meaning and purpose. My process of accepting my situation is making good headway. In the meantime, I keep asking myself whether that process will ever be completed.

Technology now constitutes the whole basis of my existence

I’m also forced more and more to allow technology into my life. It rules my life – literally, in fact. In my previous life, I could have never imagined that my laptop would be the foundation of my existence, but I now switch it on first thing in the morning, right after the coffee machine. My inner self, the real ‘me’, is still uppermost, of course, but I no longer have complete control over the quality of my life. I’ve found my passion in writing. I use a speech recognition program to entrust my thoughts and creativity to the computer screen. But that’s not the only thing. Essentially, I now use my computer for everything. Of course,  nothing can replace interpersonal contact, but my voice is now failing me, so I have to increasingly rely on my digital ‘messenger’.

Life can no longer be taken for granted. Although nothing beats face-to-face contact, simple things like getting in touch or getting together are now easier said than done. My wheelchair allows me to phone hands-free, but I’m becoming harder and harder to understand. So digital contacts provide the answer. The microphone by my computer works wonders, and not just for good old emails, but also for things like chatting with helpdesks like the one at my health insurance company. Technological gadgets in and around the house, such as electronic doors and smart lighting systems, enable me to live the way I like.

Datasets open opportunities for more efficient care

I like to use the online patient portal to make doctors’ appointments and order medicines. The portal also keeps track of other information about me, though it’s unfortunately not possible yet for other people to access information from the hospital or the records of my primary care provider and staff. To my mind, there are smarter ways to deal with those kinds of expanding datasets in health care. That could help to avoid duplication of activities, and together we could make health care more efficient. As far as that goes, I put good-quality care above potential privacy risks.

Looking back at the past few years, when all sorts of technologies like speech recognition came into my life, I now see that as a very important component of the whole acceptance process I’ve had to go through over the years. Information technology keeps me mentally healthy. Isn’t that also a kind of eHealth?.