According to a story by The Health Pundit, one woman showed a bold new way to spread awareness for multiple sclerosis. Kate Langwine-Cooke filmed her experience of a seizure. The video is intense, and not recommended for all viewers, but paints a powerful picture of the daily struggle for many people living with multiple sclerosis. Keep reading to learn more, or follow the original story here for further details.
What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition affecting the brain’s communication with the rest of the body. In cases of MS, a person’s immune system attacks the protective covering of nerve cells. The destruction of this conductive material, known as myelin, slows and blocks the transmission of messages from the brain.
Multiple sclerosis may affect any and all parts of the body. The muscle, extremities, and eyes are the most commonly affected. The first symptoms of MS typically appear between the ages of 20 and 40. Weakness, numbness, loss of speech, and loss of bladder control are all characteristic symptoms of MS. Though there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, it is possible to treat the various symptoms of the condition.
Click here to learn more about multiple sclerosis.
Making The Invisible Visible
Before the video starts, Kate Langwine-Cooke already felt the shaking in her hands. It doesn’t take long after the camera begins rolling for Ms. Langwine-Cooke to be overwhelmed. Her whole body begins to convulse. The intensity is such that she can no longer hold or balance the camera. The footage she recorded is only about half a minute long. The experience of her seizure lasted a quarter of an hour.
In her post accompanying the video, Ms. Langwine-Cooke describes her attacks. They are, she says, “brutal, and completely draining.”
Ms. Langwine-Cooke posted the video to a group on Facebook known as Invisible Illnesses. For many people with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, their conditions are often felt as invisible. Symptoms may come and go seemingly at random. There are days where they feel as able as any other person. Other times, symptoms are so vague that they hardly seem classifiable. Experiences such as fatigue, or clumsiness are easily written off. They are, however, also sometimes signs that a person’s nervous system is not functioning as it should.
The goal then, of Ms. Langwine-Cooke’s video is not to inspire outrage or controversy, but to document reality. It’s an attempt to make the day-to-day life of multiple sclerosis patients more visible. It is an effort to share one person’s story as personally, and honestly as possible.
