Guest Voice: I’m grateful for my MS caregivers — my guardian angels
My struggles have revealed the depth of love within my support system
During National Family Caregivers Month, Aranzazu Calzado is reflecting on the support networks who haven’t let her face the storm of MS alone. (Courtesy of Aranzazu Calzado)
I’ve been blessed with extraordinary caregivers and people who have made my journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) profoundly different.
When I was diagnosed, my world collapsed. Everything I knew about myself, my body, and my future became uncertain. I had fatigue and strange sensations — my body had become foreign territory to rediscover. I felt a new fear of the unknown.
Amid the storm, one thing stood unshaken: my sisters.
My older sister, whom I look up to, became one of my guardian angels in human form. While I struggled to breathe under the weight of my diagnosis, she dove into research. Every article, every therapy — she read about all of it.
She isn’t a doctor or a scientist. She’s a banker. Numbers and spreadsheets are her world, yet when MS entered mine, she traded financial reports for medical journals. She shifted from speaking the language of banking to becoming fluent in MS. I never wanted to learn it, but she mastered it for me.
She sat beside me in doctors’ offices, asked questions, and translated the medical words into comfort and love. When I forgot my strength, she reminded me. When I doubted, she believed for both of us. When I was too tired to fight, she became my advocate.
Another angel is my younger sister, the quiet one. She doesn’t say much, but her presence is constant, her care steady and sincere. Her thoughtful gestures and the calm she brings remind me that love doesn’t always need words. She’s my gentle strength, my silent supporter keeping me grounded.
My sisters are two hearts standing on either side of me: one with fierce determination, the other with quiet compassion. While MS changed my life, it also revealed their courage, tenderness, and unshakable love.
A network of love and support
My blessings don’t end there. Around me, a circle of love has formed, and each person in it helps me live fully despite MS.
I have friends who prove that nothing can keep them from standing by me. Some friendships have been unwavering since kindergarten. Our bonds have navigated every season of life with laughter and only grow stronger.
My traveling buddies are among the bravest souls. They push my wheelchair — literally — to the end of the world. Through airports, cobblestone streets, and steep hills, they never let me feel like a burden. With them, I laugh, explore, and feel free.
Then there’s my work family — the people who understand my challenges yet never let me feel less capable. They support me, cover for me, and cheer me on. In an environment where MS could make me feel out of place, they’ve valued and respected me.
And there are friends who haven’t been in my life long but whose presence feels timeless. They remind me that connection depends not on years but on heart. They push me to reach higher, showing me that true friendship recognizes ability, not disability.
Even across oceans, my parents, who live in Spain, remain my pillar of strength. I am still their little girl. Their voices, encouragement, and unconditional love travel across time zones to wrap me in warmth. They remind me where I come from and the power of a parent’s unfading love.
For a time, I believed romance had no space in my new reality, but love found me anyway — pure, accepting, and unafraid. I never imagined that amid such vulnerability, I’d find a connection so healing. Loving and being loved with MS showed me that true love sees beyond limitations. It’s given me light in my darkest moments and another reason to keep going.
And there’s the MS community — doctors, therapists, and fellow patients. Together, they create a network of strength, empathy, and understanding that reminds me healing isn’t only physical. It’s also found in connection.
Of course, there are days when MS feels heavy — days when I’m tired, my body doesn’t cooperate, or frustration wins. But even then, I’m not alone. I have hands to hold. Two sisters beside me, friends who push me forward, colleagues who are like family, parents whose love knows no distance, and love to walk this path with me.
MS has taught me that life isn’t about having control; it’s about finding meaning, even in the struggle. It’s about gratitude, even in pain. And it’s about the people who refuse to let you face the storm alone.
MS has taken things from me, but it has also revealed the greatest gift of all: the depth of love within my support system — my guardian angels. Because of them, I don’t just survive MS. I truly live.
This season, and every day, I give thanks for the caregivers who show up with patience, compassion, and healing love. You are the unseen angels who make every step lighter, kinder, and more hopeful.
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