Jessie Madrigal Fletcher

Anna Sochocky’s remembers her neurologist’s words. “I am sorry to tell you that the lesions indicate multiple sclerosis.” Upon hearing that, the only thing that mattered to Anna was whether she would be able to ride again.

She returned to the barn three months after her diagnosis. Going through the repetitive practices of grooming, saddl…[Read more]

Jen Conway was 24 when she was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 1998. Over the years, she’s learned how to manage to live with it and all that comes with it.

Jen has some advice for living your best life with MS, including managing stress and energy, and the adage “move it or lose it”. Jen believes that exercise can help in many way…[Read more]

Julie Tovar was diagnosed ten days after her February 2020 wedding, with relapsing-remitting MS. The doctor told Julie she had likely been misdiagnosed for about five years. She felt like her body was betraying her. But then it hit her: she had done SO MUCH, even with MS:  hiked in the Himalayas, explored the Great Barrier Reef and so much more,…[Read more]

Stephanie Singleton was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in August 2014 . At the time of her diagnosis, Stephanie had been an occupational therapist (OT) for 25 years. Before her diagnosis she thought she understood the disease process. She thought she understood fatigue.

Now, Stephanie believes having MS has made her a better OT, and it…[Read more]

When Marie Pontini was diagnosed with MS five years ago, her accomplishments suddenly felt meaningless. Within months, she went from walking to using a wheelchair. She was forced into a new life. A clean slate.

So, she started bodybuilding, as a way to empower herself over chronic intense neurological pain. Since then, Marie has become…[Read more]

For Debbie Petrina’s common sense generates creativity, imagination, and practicality. Back in 1980, she was 25 when her aggressive MS symptoms started. Without the information, treatments, and support available nowadays, she used common sense to get through each day.

Debbie also reached for her creativity, imagination, and practicality to o…[Read more]

Yazzie Nicolau is a 31-year-old “free-spirited vegan”. She was diagnosed five years ago. Yazzie treats MS like a close friend, with the ups and downs that come with that type of relationship.

As a TV producer, she has often been discriminated against for her MS. She has also been told not to let employers know about her MS. Yazzie’s motto is,…[Read more]

Holly Stevens was diagnosed in November 2006, after her specialist put her through every medical test possible to rule everything else out. Next month, she will be in her 14th MS year.

Holly is a degreed writer who worked as a journalist, editor, advertising copywriter, manager, trainer, on-site reporter, guest writer, public relations scribe,…[Read more]

Lissette Mares’ scars are not visible. It takes an MRI to see that she has multiple scars inside her brain and spinal cord. 

Lissette never chose to have this autoimmune disease, but she believes she has the choice about what I do with it and how she decides to fight it. She went from having a hard time going up stairs and crying in her co…[Read more]

Dr. Tiffany Wilcher was diagnosed with MS at the age of 22 while serving her country in the U.S. Army as a combat medic.

Twenty years ago, MS wasn’t really talked about and in the beginning, Tiffany felt a sense of shame. Yet, once she opened up, questions kept coming and she inadvertently became the source of all things MS.

Tiffany’s goal i…[Read more]

Marek Klimkowski’s MS story began when he was 14 years old, but he wasn’t diagnosed until years later. He has had to tweak his treatment and recently an MRI showed some changes in Marek’s brain. But, he feels good. He tries to exercise every day and has even started running.

Marek’s wife says he is an incorrigible optimist. For Marek, p…[Read more]

Melody Sapien was diagnosed when she was 15 years old. Finding out she had MS was life-changing. Melody had been experiencing unsettling symptoms for a while, so when her neurologist told her she had MS, she was relieved to finally have an answer. Yet, that relief ended when she heard that if she didn’t go on medications, she would end up in a w…[Read more]

Michael Drohan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 18. Around 23, he started needing to sit down and recharge. Then he started using a cane, then two canes, a rollator, and now a powerchair. Michael is super grateful for the team he has built to help him manage MS: his family, community, and doctors.

His advice to anyone with MS is to…[Read more]

This is Inês Velosa’s story: On June 6, 2021, her husband was diagnosed with MS. Life, as they knew it, was over.

As Inês learned about all the science behind MS, she also found it helpful to read stories from other people who were going through a similar thing. She read submissions to our #31DaysofMS series and found a lot of com…[Read more]

This is Tyler Campbell’s story: At 22, Tyler felt so lost. He needed a friend, someone to lean on who wouldn’t judge his uncontrollable twitch, his right leg that dragged, or slurred speech.

Sweet T came into Tyler’s life, and “she had a coat the same colors as an Oreo”. Tyler’s physical limitations never bothered this beautiful horse. She b…[Read more]

Kaci Bell has many thoughts on “imposter syndrome.” Kaci’s MRI impressions show that her MS is very aggressive for a relapsing-remitting type, and, in theory, she should be more physically disabled. Yet, she spends a great amount of her free time roller-skating. She’s defying the odds, daily.

At first, the fact that she could still skate mad…[Read more]

This is Kali Thomas’s story: She was diagnosed a few months after her 21st birthday. Kali’s inital shock turned into anger that turned into denial. She read books, searched the internet, bombarded her MS specialist with questions.

Four years later, she began experiencing pain in both hips. She was soon diagnosed with yet another disease: a…[Read more]

This is Agata’s story: It was 2019, and Agata had just married the love of her life. She was getting ready to celebrate her 35th birthday when the doctor called with the news: Multiple sclerosis.

At first, it took her a few weeks to go to sleep without crying. Soon she learned about the importance of food and nutrients, and became a health c…[Read more]

This is Laurie Lambert’s story:  when her friend shared her MS diagnosis, immediately she wondered what this diagnosis would mean. Laurie worried MS would change the essence of who her friend was. How would this affect her independence?

Laurie now feels that the initial shock and panic have worn off, and she understands that their fr…[Read more]

This is Tatiana Andjelic’s (@tatianaandjelic/@msonthemind) story. Tatiana’s diagnosis involved trial, error, and realism. It wasn’t until acceptance turned to anger that she realized she was grieving.

MS varies from person to person, but, for Tatiana, there is a universal symptom most patients experience: mental health struggle. And while she…[Read more]