31 Days of MS: I Threw Away Fear and Began Following My Dreams

Photo courtesy of Cassidy Krygger

Day 9 of 31

This is Cassidy Krygger’s (@cassidykrygger) story:

I remember the day of my first MS symptom, more than three years ago, as clearly as if it were happening now. It was October 2018, and I realized that every time I moved my left eye, it hurt. It was odd, but I thought nothing of it, until I told my mum a few days later and she urged me to go to the doctor. I laughed it off but went anyway, expecting the doctors to make light of it, too. But they didn’t. I was sent straight to the emergency room and put in an MRI machine. A few days later, I had an MS diagnosis.

MS? No one in my family had MS. I didn’t even know what MS was, except for what I saw on television — which was disability and wheelchairs. I was only 23. How could this be?

In the first few weeks after my diagnosis, I felt like I was living in a nightmare. I was terrified. And I really felt sorry for myself. My neurologist promised I only had a light form of MS: relapsing and remitting. And that with the right medication, it wouldn’t progress further.

As the weeks faded into months, the shock of my diagnosis began to lift. But as I adjusted to my new way of living, I began to find myself. The real me. Because all of a sudden, life became extremely precious. I realized life is meant to be lived to the fullest. So I threw away the fear and began to follow my dreams.

Since my diagnosis, I’ve started my filmmaking career. I wrote, produced, and starred in my first short film, “Enigma,” which is about to hit the International Film Festival circuit. I know I would not have had the courage to do this without the life-changing diagnosis that is MS.

And on the health front? I’m doing pretty well. I don’t have many symptoms, and I live a relatively normal and healthy life.

So my friends, throw away the fear and live life to the fullest. Either with or without an MS diagnosis.

Multiple Sclerosis News Today’s 31 Days of MS campaign will publish one story per day for Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month in March. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofMS, or read the full series.