I’ve had the most incredible week.
Believe it or not, my podgy-moon-face has been in three different films, all raising awareness about MS in different ways.
First up, a video at my local teaching hospital to show trainee doctors a real-life MS scenario. Let’s just say, I hope I haven’t put them off neurology, gah.
Second, a film for The Newly-Diagnosed. Hopefully I came across as reassuring and positive about MS. A tricky place to be as we all have to go some sort of mourning period? I know I did and it lasted well over two years.
Third, me and The Teenager went to London yesterday. I was taking part in a film for World MS Day, about coming to terms with an MS diagnosis and all it entails.
It’s all been busy and illuminating. We went down the day before so we could be calm and collected before Filming. Plus The Teenager has GCSE exams looming next week, so he packed a bag full of notes and a lot of anxiety. Mind you, all notes went out the window when he spied the massive telly on the wall in our hotel room, conveniently placed in front of his bed. And the chocolate vending machines in the foyer.
Anyway, I met some phenomenal people, all living well with MS. Despite MS? And that’s the thing. We’re all so different. We all have wildly varying MS stories, but we’ve all forged an ultimately positive path.
I’ll be honest, I often feel isolated. I’m a divorced, single parent with MS (get the violins out, meh). Yet there is a wonderful network of people who will draw you towards them, putting an arm around you and tell you, ‘no, you are not alone.’
MS casts a very dark shadows on our lives – on our relationships, our family, our work, our … very being. Who are we now? Now we have MS?
Well, the good news is, if you are in the shadows, there are so many people out there holding out a friendly hand. No one has to go through MS alone.
I remember, back in the Bad Old Days, when fatigue and relapses pinned me to my sofa. I sent out a tweet, ‘I need support’. Well. The support came flooding back. I was never again alone.
And that’s the thing. For all of us who have been through the darkest days, can we light the way for the peeps who are going through the same thing?
glad you had a great week 😀
I just hope that if I come across any one just diagnosed that thinks their world has ended I can show them that yes, MS sucks, but its not the end of the world. You can still do what you want, just might take longer to do it, but you still can!
Absolutely!! The best attitude to have. Allow people to go through a period of mourning, (if they want/need to) and then, the sky’s the limit.
x
I was at the MS Society on Wednesday as a lay person on one of their support groups, I asked why we can’t have a “welcome pack” when your first diagnosed
Its the loneliest time and just to know what’s happening to you and to be able to speak to others in the same position can be so comforting. Also to be pointed in the right direction for financial and practical support. None of us want MS but it would be handy to have some support on the way
What a brilliant idea!!
I’m taking part in a newly-diagnosed day on Thursday and will have a chat with people about it 🙂
X