Maria shares her story of finding hope at her at her hardest time, and how Overcoming MS has helped her take control of her lifestyle choices.
I was diagnosed four years ago at age 50 but I’d actually had symptoms for 15 to 20 years and each time I went to the doctors, I was told “There’s nothing wrong with you.”
Shortly after my diagnosis, I was very lucky in that a friend of mine sent me ‘Recovering from Multiple Sclerosis’ by George Jelinek and Karen Law. I was in my darkest hour; I thought my life was over. I was feeling awful, the fatigue was unreal. It was just dreadful. I picked this book up. I mustered up all the energy just to be able to start the book and I was enthralled. I could not put it down because these are real people, and it was telling their individual stories. Whilst no story was exactly the same because we’re all different, I took a piece from everything I could see; there were parts in everybody’s story that resonated with me.
I feel I was very lucky to find the Overcoming MS Program at that time. It really did help me. It really does give you hope that your life isn’t over because a diagnosis of MS really does turn your whole life upside down. As soon as you start googling, all you hear is doom and gloom. But actually, you can take control of your own life. Through diet, exercise, meditation, it’s not the end.
I volunteered to support Overcoming MS because I felt that even if one person who’s diagnosed with MS listens to my story and it could help them, then I’ve done my bit. I really, really want to get the message out there. You really can live your life how you want to live it, not how MS dictates it.
Maria was interviewed for our Impact Report. You can read more about the impact of the charity in our Impact Report here.
Find out about volunteering to support the charity here.