Meet Christy, diagnosed in 2007. Christy is married to Bryant and mother to Khenan, Brayden, and Leigha. Christy is a mental health therapist, working as a case manager and clinician. Christy recommends that newly diagnosed individuals immediately seek out a support group. That’s exactly what Christy did after her initial diagnosis. She shared that while a bit concerning to see others in varying degrees of disease-progression, it helped to normalize the disease early on. An unexpected benefit of joining a support group was inclusion in a family that was linked by something greater than biological processes. For Christy, every event with the support group is reminiscent of a family reunion.
Christy’s disease manifestation is relapsing MS. The breaks that such offers between exacerbations allows Christy to continue to work and remain somewhat active. Exacerbations mimic Christy’s initial disease-onset. Symptoms often include optic neuritis, MS hug, active inflammation of a body part, specific pain, and anxiety. Exacerbation of symptoms usually lasts for the usual six-month period before subsiding. Christy shared this description to illustrate the wide variety of symptoms and experiences of individuals diagnosed with MS.
Christy said that MS is just one aspect of her life. She is so much more than just a person living with MS. MSAV is all about being more than an MS patient. It’s about living and doing despite challenges. For Christy, MSAV perfectly encapsulates her life goals. Christy ended the conversation with these words, “MS does not define me. I will define how MS fits into my life!”