Cathy and MS

My wife, Cathy, has had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since 1976 when she was 20 years old. It’s been almost 47 years since that first diagnosis. The MS is always there, lurking in the background, but Cath refuses to give in to it. It’s a special strength she has, and I love her for it.

MS is called the snowflake disease; no two people have exactly the same symptoms, or frequency of occurrence. MS symptoms can include: trouble walking, fatigue, vision problems, numbness, muscle spasms, weakness, mobility issues, and bladder or bowel issues, among other problems. Not all symptoms are visible.

Cathy’s symptoms have varied over the years, but fortunately for her (and us), she has been relatively stable for the last few decades, with only some minor issues. Compared to many with the disease, we are extremely lucky.

We both belong to a Facebook MS support group called We’re not drunk, we have MS. The name is a bit of an inside joke. Many people who have MS but can still walk, sometimes have an unsteady looking gait or trip easily, not unlike someone who’s had a few too many drinks.

Recently someone put a query out to the group: “If you were to wake up tomorrow MS free, what is the first thing you would do?” There were many responses. Reading through them, I thought they expressed how the disease effects so many people much better than anything I’d ever read or watched on TV about MS. It’s the straightforwardness and simplicity of the answers that is their strength. People were just asking for the basic things in life that so many of us take for granted.

Here are some of their answers to the question “If you were to wake up tomorrow MS free, what is the first thing you would do?”

• Walk normal
• Stand
• Run
• Walk
• Dance
• Stand up, embrace my husband, and not let go for a long time
• Go Skiing
• Ride my horse
• Go for a hike in the woods
• Dance with my husband
• Wear heels again
• Jump out of bed
• Go for a run – maybe like Forest Gump
• Ride a bike
• Hike in the mountains
• Shoot hoops again
• Walk on the beach
• Go horseback riding and then dance
• Get a full night’s sleep
• Play tennis again
• Walk through my neighborhood
• Chase my grandchildren
• Go skateboarding again
• Run with my kids
• Stay at a hotel
• Go up and down stairs
• Walk, run, dance
• Drive my car
• Learn to belly dance
• Dance in rhythm again
• Get on the floor and play with my grandchildren
• Eat out and enjoy every meal
• Start quilting again
• Go skating, then dancing
• Go to my daughter’s home and go up the stairs to see my grandchildren’s room
• Work in the flower bed
• Ride a motorcycle again
• Carry my grandchildren around
• Rake the leaves in my yard
• Go back to work
• Just to consider this is overwhelming
• Buy a lottery ticket because it would be a miracle
• Jump in the ocean
• Walk on the beach with my husband
• Get on my knees and thank God.

They have newer medicines these days to address the symptoms of MS, and sometimes lessen the progression of the disease, but there is still no cure. In the meantime, these MS Warriors soldier on.

As for Cath and I, we count ourselves pretty lucky in the big scheme of things. She has some issues, and occasional flare ups, but continues to live her life. Every day is something to be enjoyed, and lived to the fullest.