In 1996 my aunt was diagnosed with MS and at that time I had never before heard about Multiple Sclerosis. Following her, in 1997, my father was diagnosed. Now knowing what I knew of the disease, my father’s diagnosis was devastating news. Less than 2 years later, I too was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. And as if that was not enough for one family, in 2007 my sister was also diagnosed.
My first symptom started in the summer of 1998. I began to notice that my right leg was feeling weaker than my left. It first became apparent when I would walk up a flight of stairs that it took much more effort to raise my right leg than my left. The weakness gradually got worse, until I was visibly limping. After my GP was not able to tell me what was wrong I was referred to a neurologist and after the results of an MRI came back my diagnosis was confirmed as MS. A couple of months later, the weakness in my leg subsided and I was again able to walk normally. Then just 6 months later the weakness in my leg returned. It got so bad that I had to give in to my grandmother and use the cane that she had stored in her basement. Again after a couple of months, the flare-up subsided.
Just when my life had returned to normal, I remember stopping at an intersection and looking up at the traffic light and thinking something didn’t look quite right. I closed my right eye and looked just through my left and realized that I couldn’t see the colors of the traffic light; I had a grey spot right in the center of my vision. Over the next couple of weeks this spot spread out and very quickly I was completely blind in my left eye. I went to an ophthalmologist who told me it was Optic neuritis, that nothing could be done and I had to just wait and see (no pun intended). Months went by and slowly my vision started to return, however it never did return 100%.
Throughout the course of my illness, in addition to those noted above, I have experienced many other symptoms. These have ranged from numbness and double vision, to an awful period of vertigo during which I had to do a lot of crawling because I was too dizzy and nauseous to stand. With no exaggeration, I can say that those first few years of my diagnosis were the worst years of my life.
Thankfully I am happy to report that I have now been in remission for several years. That is why this cause is so important to me. I want to take advantage of this time in my life, when I am strong, healthy and physically able to participate in something of this magnitude. I want to give a face to MS and hopefully help others, who have suffered or are suffering from its debilitating affects, my family included.
It is only with your help that we will see a the end of MS. Every dollar counts and please know that your contribution WILL make a difference.
Thank you for your support!!
