When you choose to love someone for life, you have to be prepared to roll with the punches. In 1987, without warning, our love and our lives were put to the test like never before. My husband Tim was diagnosed with secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) – and from that point everything started to change.
Waking up one day with no sensation in his left leg led to weeks of tests and finally the diagnosis. It’s fair to say that at first, I didn’t really understand what MS would mean to us and how it would change our lives. After doing all the research I could into MS, the reality hit me like a ton of bricks!
Things were very different back then. Nobody had any hope for people living with MS. I remember a doctor telling us to “go home and wait for a cure”. Those words have stuck in my mind ‘til this day. I prepared myself for what I thought life might be like.
Of course the diagnosis hit Tim just as hard. Along with grief came anger at being forced into a situation where he had no control – the things he used to do and the things he still wanted to do, all became harder.
We tried our best to get on with life as usual. We both went back to our jobs as teachers, although Tim had to deal with the challenges of walking with a limp. We had a few good years, but eventually Tim found himself reliant on a wheel chair. Just another curve in the journey with MS, and we adapted as best we could – but ultimately the wheelchair, together with the fatigue and loss of balance, forced Tim into early retirement and his life became even more restricted.
Recently, we had a horrible scare. Tim was rushed into hospital and spent over a week heavily sedated to help with the pain he was experiencing from an MS symptom. As soon as we called the MS Society they jumped into action. They helped with everything we could possibly need, from occupational therapy through to nursing and even advice on funding support for equipment. They really have made the world of difference.
We are under no illusions. MS is going to make life even harder for us as time goes on, and will continue to try and deprive Tim of his independence and freedom. But we are not alone. We know that the MS Society will continue to be there for us, helping with everything we have yet to face.
MS may have made us resilient, but it’s so much easier if you’ve got someone on your side helping you fight back. When you make a donation to the MS Society, you are directly helping people like us to cope, to live a life where disability doesn’t mean the end of a full and enriching life.
Thank you for your generosity.
Diane