31 Days of MS: The journey of a queer MS warrior
Day 16 of 31
This is Scarlett Ward‘s story:
My name is Scarlett Ward, and I’m 29 years old. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when I was 27, after a particularly nasty relapse left me in the hospital, unable to walk, talk, read, write, or swallow.
I began to show symptoms years before, when my right arm and hand went completely numb. But I shrugged it off as a trapped nerve. A few weeks before my relapse got bad in 2021, my legs went numb, my speech became slurred, and I had trouble swallowing food without choking. I went to the emergency room several times but was told it was anxiety or period hormones ā as though I hadnāt had periods my entire life.
Because I was ignored, I fell into such a poor state of health that I was bedbound in the intensive care unit for a month and had to learn how to function all over again. I donāt remember much about that time other than the MRI scans, the loneliness of being trapped in my body and unable to communicate, and the fear of not knowing what was happening.
As a poet and an equestrian, being unable to read, write, speak, and walk, let alone perform or ride my horse, was particularly distressing. However, with steroid treatments and therapy, I regained all of these abilities. I am now on a twice-yearly treatment of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab).
I was privileged to be able to move back in with my parents, and Iām grateful for my amazingly supportive family.
I still have foot drop, muscle spasms, bone-aching fatigue, slow speech, and sensory issues, such as pins and needles in my hands when Iām tired, but so far, Iāve found the biggest issue since my recovery is PTSD. Itās draining to live your life in fear of whatās around the corner.
Relapsing-remitting MS is the ultimate gaslighter, tricking you into thinking youāre better only to serve you with a big bowl of harsh reality.
But being diagnosed also helped catalyze me to come out as queer, and as horrible as MS is, itās helped me make some great changes in my life (because YOLO!). Itās really important that we spread awareness of symptoms to help people catch it early and to raise awareness of these communities to combat those horrible feelings of isolation that come with being diagnosed.
Multiple Sclerosis News Todayās 31 Days of MS campaign will publish one story per day for MS Awareness Month in March. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofMS, or read the full series.