31 Days of MS: I Have MS to Thank for Pushing Me Toward My Dreams

Photo courtesy of Yazzie Nicolau

Day 22 of 31

This is Yazzie Nicolau’s (@yazzietalks) story:

I am a 31-year-old free-spirited vegan and coming up on my five-year “diagnosary” of MS. Yep, that’s me!

To be honest, since being diagnosed, my life has felt a lot smoother. I’ve gotten a lot more answers to a lot of unanswered questions that all seem to make sense now. I treat my MS like my best mate: we have our ups and downs, we argue and then make up, and MS puts me in my place when I lose control.

I thought my diagnosis would hinder me and my career, but, if anything, it has pushed me. I am now a TV producer in London. I never thought I would be able to say that. I have often been discriminated against for my MS or been told not to let employers know about my MS. My motto is, if they don’t want someone with a disability working for them then I don’t want to work for them; it’s their loss. I also think it is extremely important we teach employers the importance of acknowledging visible and invisible disabilities.

I want to encourage others with MS not to give up. Pushing myself, which has often been painful, has meant that I have accomplished something I never thought I would have. And in a weird way, I have my MS to thank for that.

Without MS, I may have given up my career to work a boring 9-to-5 job, which definitely is not where I belong. My MS reminds me to live life to the fullest each and every day.

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.