In fall 2014, my world was rocked when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 29. You can read my MS Story in 3 parts here: PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3

If you’re unfamiliar with the disease, MS is a disease without a cure that causes the immune system to attack the myelin coating (the outer coating of the nerves) in the brain and spinal cord. The myelin (which is kind of like the outer coating on an electrical wire) deteriorates, slowing down or stopping the messages the brain is trying to send to the rest of the body. When the messages are interrupted it can affect a person’s ability to feel certain sensations and move properly. You can read more about MS here or watch a short 2 minute video called What Is MS? here.

Everyone who has MS experiences the disease differently. Because lesions (nerve damage) can occur anywhere in the brain and spinal cord, symptoms largely depend on where the damage has occurred. Symptoms often include things like numbness and weakness in limbs and torso, loss of vision, dizziness or vertigo, tingling and buzzing throughout the body, electric shock sensations with certain movements, tremors and lack of coordination and fatigue.

There’s currently no cure for MS, but there are treatments available to slow the progression of the disease. After a lot of research I began a treatment called Lemtrada in March 2015. You can follow my treatment updates here: DAY 1 – DAY 2 – DAY 3 – DAY 4 – DAY 5 – POST TREATMENT UPDATES – 1 WEEK POST – 2 WEEKS POST – 6 WEEKS POST

I also drastically changed my diet to a mostly vegan diet (you can read about here) and I started taking some supplements (you can read about that here).