A Million Reasons to Raise Awareness of MS

I’m one in one million. Literally. Or should I say, I’m one in one million.

Earlier this 12 months, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society released a study showing that almost a million people within the United States have MS, greater than double the unique estimate of 400,000.*

1,000,000! That number blows my mind! There are one million people living with MS within the United States, and I’m certainly one of them. The disease just isn’t as rare as once thought, and chances are high you understand someone with MS.

So who’re we? Who are the million?

Technically, we’re prone to be between 20 and 50 years old after we are diagnosed, and we’re two to thrice more prone to be female. We will be of any ethnic group, but we usually tend to be of northern European descent. We are almost definitely to live within the areas of the earth furthest from the equator, and along with our brothers and sisters in the remaining of the world, we make up 2.3 million people living with the disease worldwide.

Although all of us share a diagnosis of MS, the disease presents itself so in another way in each of us and is usually called “snowflake disease” since it varies a lot from individual to individual. MS attacks and short-circuits our central nervous system, leaving scars on our brain and spinal cord. We experience symptoms akin to fatigue, spasticity, numbness, difficulty walking, vision problems, weakness, dizziness, bowel and bladder problems, pain, cognitive changes, mood swings, and depression… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We may experience sexual dysfunction, speech problems, swallowing difficulties, tremors, and headaches. Yes, living with MS isn’t any picnic.

However, I’m proud to say that this disease has a shiny side, and that’s the people living with it. People living with MS are among the most resilient and robust people I even have ever met! We live with the unpredictability of MS and struggle day-after-day to live as normally as possible. Yes, we fall often, but we all the time discover a strategy to get back up.

We had to find a brand new way of life that some people don’t understand. There’s a saying on social media, “you don’t have MS until you have MS.” Of course, I believe that probably applies to any chronic illness that you just don’t really understand until you are trying to live with it.

I’m proud to say that MS doesn’t hold us back. There are so many individuals living with MS who’re doing amazing things with their lives. We all battle the disease in our own unique way, but most significantly, we support one another in our individual battles. We all strive to assist one another and overcome the obstacles that usually accompany MS. We all understand and empathize with the bad days, but we also have fun and embrace the nice ones. There isn’t any greater celebration than hearing positive MRI results or check-ups! In this positive news, all of us win.

I believe now we have made great strides and vital medical discoveries prior to now few a long time with MS. MS is certainly not the disease it once was, but we still have an extended strategy to go. MS affects too many individuals and there continues to be a lot to learn. There continues to be no cure for MS, only disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) patches which can be designed to stop the progression of the disease.

March is MS Awareness Month, and raising awareness is a component of this larger journey on our path to recovery. I’ll proceed to share information, proceed to fight, and never hand over hope. One day there might be a cure, and I’ll join the 999,999 other people within the U.S. who will shout and proclaim, “WE USED TO HAVE MS!”

*https://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/MS-Prevalence