This year I am participating in WalkMS Portland.
Multiple Sclerosis is important to me because I was diagnosed in 2011 with relapsing remitting MS.
In January I married my best friend. In June I graduated from Southern Maine Community College. I was offered a job at a company I wanted to work for. I had dreams of getting promoted to a laboratory position. Everything was going my way. Little did I know something was brewing inside of me and it was about to explode.
On the first day I was supposed to go live at work, I woke up and something was VERY wrong. I could barely get out of bed and I couldn't walk without my husband's help. I lost all sensation in my stomach and the whole left half of my body, from my head to my toes. I was in severe pain but all I could think about was getting to work. I had my husband drive me and when we got there I had him go inside and ask for the wheelchair. My husband wheeled me into work. My supervisor was extremely concerned and she asked me to speak with the nurse. I was heartbroken when she told me I couldn't work and needed to go to the hospital immediately.
Most of the time at the ER was a blur. The first doctor was young and inexperienced. He was going to send me home but my husband was adamant in me staying there until they found out what was wrong. I was sent for more testing, including MRI's. I'll never forget what happened next. My husband sat in a chair to the left of my bed, clutching at his hands and smiling at me each time my gaze met his. And then a different doctor came into the room. He said, "You have MS, I'm sorry," and left the room. I didn't have time to react. Before then I had no idea what MS was and I was terrified.
I had to stay over. The next morning I had to get a spinal tap to confirm my diagnosis. I laid on my left side as I held my husband's hand. My friend was there too. She had been there all day playing games and keeping us company. The procedure wasn't as bad as I thought but the pressure was still uncomfortable. The results came back and it was a fact. I had MS.
The week after I was released from the hospital my spinal tap didn't heal correctly and spinal fluid ended up leaking, causing me to be a vegetable. I couldn't lift my head, I was incoherent, and I felt like I was dying. Ultimately I had to get a blood patch to fix it, which is a barbaric act. They placed a needle in my wrist to squeeze and bleed me out into a bag. They then used my blood to patch my spine. The doctors and nurses were very concerned and I don't think they ever saw anyone that bad. Luckily it healed and I was right as rain within a few days.
The diagnosis was easy compared to the lifelong struggle I, as well as millions of others, have every day. I have good days and not so good days but I always fight. I stay strong and I stay positive. One of the slogans for MS is "keep moving" and, it's true. You have to keep moving or else this disease will pile on top of itself and smother you from within. As long as I am alive I will always be more than this disease. In 2013 I participated in Walk MS. I raised over a thousand dollars. In 2014 I ran in Muckfest MS and our team raised over a thousand dollars. This year I will participate in Walk MS again and hopefully raise another thousand dollars.
Most of the time at the ER was a blur. The first doctor was young and inexperienced. He was going to send me home but my husband was adamant in me staying there until they found out what was wrong. I was sent for more testing, including MRI's. I'll never forget what happened next. My husband sat in a chair to the left of my bed, clutching at his hands and smiling at me each time my gaze met his. And then a different doctor came into the room. He said, "You have MS, I'm sorry," and left the room. I didn't have time to react. Before then I had no idea what MS was and I was terrified.
I had to stay over. The next morning I had to get a spinal tap to confirm my diagnosis. I laid on my left side as I held my husband's hand. My friend was there too. She had been there all day playing games and keeping us company. The procedure wasn't as bad as I thought but the pressure was still uncomfortable. The results came back and it was a fact. I had MS.
The week after I was released from the hospital my spinal tap didn't heal correctly and spinal fluid ended up leaking, causing me to be a vegetable. I couldn't lift my head, I was incoherent, and I felt like I was dying. Ultimately I had to get a blood patch to fix it, which is a barbaric act. They placed a needle in my wrist to squeeze and bleed me out into a bag. They then used my blood to patch my spine. The doctors and nurses were very concerned and I don't think they ever saw anyone that bad. Luckily it healed and I was right as rain within a few days.
The diagnosis was easy compared to the lifelong struggle I, as well as millions of others, have every day. I have good days and not so good days but I always fight. I stay strong and I stay positive. One of the slogans for MS is "keep moving" and, it's true. You have to keep moving or else this disease will pile on top of itself and smother you from within. As long as I am alive I will always be more than this disease. In 2013 I participated in Walk MS. I raised over a thousand dollars. In 2014 I ran in Muckfest MS and our team raised over a thousand dollars. This year I will participate in Walk MS again and hopefully raise another thousand dollars.
These events are symbols of our struggles every day. This is why I fight.
This is why MS matters to me.
This is why MS matters to me.
If you would like to donate towards my cause please click on the link below. Cane or not, I will be walking alongside my supporters this year to find a cure for this debilitating disease. Thank you!
