This summer, while visiting friends in Chicago, I met the most amazing woman Angie. She was out for the first time since she had her beautiful daughter, so we looked at pictures and shared stories with one another.
Eventually, after discussing my line of work, she revealed to me that she has multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease of the central nervous system that has potentially debilitating symptoms.
From looking at Angie, I assumed “Oh she’s healthy and fit…” But the thing is, I wasn’t wrong! She is living well with MS which could account for her infectious zest for life. In talking to Angie, I could immediately tell that she loves being a mom and wife, enjoys her work, and is passionate about her hobbies.
But more remarkably, she is doing all of this with an often debilitating disease. When I asked how she did it, she mentioned the recent launch of Well and Strong with MS, her blog that aims to showcase living a full and active life with MS.
She explains,
“MS can mean different things for different people but for me, it’s really about how I can minimize the symptoms of this disease while balancing my day-to-day. I’m a wife and a mom who works full-time so it’s all a juggling act. Multiple sclerosis is tricky – some days are good and others are more difficult – but ultimately, MS is progressive disease that needs to be controlled. Within my blog, I try to highlight ways you can manage this disease, and bring light to MS-related topics like breastfeeding, pregnancy and expenses, that no one is really talking about. Most importantly, you’ll see I’m doing this while also living a normal life too.”
Personally, regardless of chronic condition (for me it’s POTS and Lyme), I’m going to keep up with Angie’s experiences in hopes that it will help my own journey. See Angie’s call to action below and be on the lookout for more from her!
