Balancing Grit and Grace - Ahna Crum

Ahna was diagnosed with aggressive relapsing-remitting MS at the age of 16. As an avascular necrosis combatant, HSCT veteran, and partially bionic woman, Ahna has fought for functionality through conventional and holistic therapies. The experience of managing symptoms broadened into a passion of researching nutritional sciences, which led to a career as a Registered Dietitian and master’s degree in human nutrition and functional medicine. She combines her love of food and writing to restore health, hope, and highlight the ups and downs of life with MS. Ahna is a sunshine state native and relies on her faith in God, fur babies, music, and art to stay sane.

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My grandma reminded me that I am more than the sum of my MS symptoms

I vividly remember swimming in my grandparents’ pool when I was 5 or 6 during a family gathering. My older cousins started comparing their features and deciding which relatives they most resembled. Naturally, I started scanning around for my match, too. I am adopted, however, and I do not look…

Ahna Crum

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With chronic illness, empathy and understanding are the best approach

One of the hardest parts of living with chronic illness is being misunderstood in moments when I have the least energy to explain myself. With multiple sclerosis (MS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), sometimes my heart rate skyrockets, my body overheats, my energy drops, my nervous system…

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My life with MS is measured by time spent in an MRI tube

By now, I’ve spent at least 70 hours inside an MRI machine. That’s three days of my life spent lying perfectly still while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) searched my brain, spine, and joints for answers related to my multiple sclerosis (MS). At 16, the experience felt terrifying.

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How my perspective on MS awareness has shifted since my diagnosis

Until my relapse last summer, multiple sclerosis (MS) hadn’t really affected my daily life in nine years, so the recent MS Awareness Month made me pause. Living with the disease sometimes at the forefront and sometimes in the background has shown me how much the meaning of “awareness”…

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Like laundry, living with MS requires ongoing maintenance

There’s a bin of laundry in my car. It’s been there for days, but I keep putting off carrying it upstairs. My dryer is broken. It’s not a crisis, but it’s certainly inconvenient. It means I have to make a weekly trip to do laundry instead of running a load…

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I don’t have to be an Olympic medalist to achieve remarkable things

Growing up, athleticism was part of my identity. To a degree, I measured myself by what I was physically capable of doing. I was constantly driven to test my limits, always aiming for higher, stronger, and more daring. I’m still in awe at what the human body is capable of.


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