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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Losing my sense of safety after an MS relapse

During my hospital stay earlier this year, all I could think about was the relief that would come when I finally went home. I pictured sinking into my own bed, exhaling for the first time in weeks, catching up with all that had happened inside my body. I needed…

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From practitioner to patient: My unexpected MS relapse

The night before I was supposed to teach an autoimmune nutrition class, I reentered a role I thought I’d finally outgrown. Instead of educating other practitioners in the functional medicine space, I found myself in the emergency room, listing symptoms I couldn’t fully untangle or explain. I wasn’t there…

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What remains when the miracle doesn’t

For years, the date of June 22 marked the anniversary of an autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) that gave me back a kind of life I never thought I’d taste again. The date marked a milestone I clung to like a ribbon at the finish line, a sign I’d…

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Naps, sunbeams, and other essential life skills

Rest isn’t optional in this house. It’s practically an Olympic event! And I live with five feline competitors. They’re furry, opinionated, and deeply committed to the art of doing nothing, whether it’s melting into a patch of sunlight, sprawling across my keyboard, or staging a nightly takeover of the recliner.

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My invisible plus-one joins all my relationships

This past weekend, my partner and I went for a walk to soak up what might be the last of the pleasant weather before the sun begins to melt Florida. Since my hip revision, I’ve struggled to make movement a consistent habit as my right leg remains a little…

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My plants may be dying, but I’m learning how to thrive

April showers bring May flowers. However, I do not have a green thumb. No matter how hard I try, I continuously seem to murder my plants. My mom, on the other hand, is an avid gardener. When my plants show signs of distress, I take them to her for remedial…


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