I asked my husband to give his thoughts on my MS to help those who have loved ones with a disease or illness. He is my rock!
My wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007. At the time of her diagnosis we had been dating for two years. On a trip to Arizona for spring break she had experienced unusual fatigue while hiking a mountain. Later that summer Marci had a stressful week between planning hair and makeup for a wedding she was working along with a late night at the Cubs game. She began experiencing vision problems in her left eye but shrugged it off as allergies. When the vision problems didn’t clear up after a few days she went to the eye doctor. This chain of events set off her eventual diagnosis of MS. Since her diagnosis six years ago we have had many ups and downs in terms of figuring out how to best manage the disease.
I have to be honest, since my wife’s diagnosis she has taken on a positive attitude in dealing with her MS. She could easily sulk and feel sorry for herself, and no one would blame her. However, I know that it has been her positive attitude towards beating this disease that has allowed me to never entertain the idea of walking away. When she was diagnosed, we were only dating. But as soon as we found out the diagnosis we went to work to figure out what she needed to do to best manage the disease. Our life “slowed down”, we began eating healthier, and she started working out 3-4 times per week. She did her best to remove as much “stress” as she could from her life. Her main concern was whether or not we could have children down the road. As of nine months ago, I am happy to report we were blessed with healthy twin girls.
I have experienced a wide range of emotions since Marci’s diagnosis six years ago. Initially, I was in shock, and couldn’t understand how a healthy 23 year old could be dealt a life changing disease. However, with Marci’s attitude of “why not me” instead of “why me” it has been easy to help her fight this disease. We are very proactive in raising money for the MS Society through the MS walk. In the past 6 years we have raised over $60,000 that goes directly to MS. I helped Marci with the application process of becoming an MS ambassador, a position she started in June of this year. We know that we are in this together and we have taken a “team” approach to keeping Marci healthy.
