living with MS

In case there was any confusion, “Chairborne” is not an advice column. Well, not the kind of advice that comes from raw wisdom, anyway. Most of my lessons are closer to cautionary tales than anything else. The only reason I can suggest avoiding any mistake is because I’ve already…

Given how much my life has changed because of multiple sclerosis (MS), anytime an opportunity arises for me to support an MS charity, I jump at the chance — figuratively, of course. I recently learned that the MS Society UK is organizing another of its zip line…

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to relearn how to walk. Learning to walk is a milestone accomplishment. But as you age, life finds ways to knock you down. Injuries, sprains, or broken bones may keep you immobile while you’re waiting for your body to recover.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to diagnose and monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). We patients can expect to have regular MRIs, although the frequency will depend on our age and disease stability. It’s important that we be comfortable during the procedure, as it…

It took years for Gregory Sonn to receive an MS diagnosis. He first noticed symptoms while traveling in his 20s. (Photo courtesy of Gregory Sonn) Day 31 of 31 This is Gregory Sonn’s story: My name is Gregory and I’m currently living in the unincorporated area of Roseville, near…

Lynne Denise, right, and her dad, Don Collins, attend last year’s MS walk in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Photos courtesy of Lynne Denise) Day 30 of 31 This is Lynne Denise’s story: Hello, multiple sclerosis (MS) warriors! My name is Lynne Brush, and I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting…

I used to think I was immune to illness. Getting sick was what my patients did. My multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis turned this belief, and many others, upside down. When the chaos of the diagnosis settled, I realized that becoming a patient was the most profound lesson I could…

Day 29 of 31 This is Mike and Jenn Powell’s story, as a conversation: Jenn and Mike Powell stand with their dog, Skye, in Laguna Beach in November 2023. (Photo by Vicki Shequin) Jenn Powell: My husband, Mike, hates multiple sclerosis (MS). There was a…

Measurements from smartphones and wearable devices like smartwatches can reliably provide clinically meaningful data to monitor multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study from Switzerland reports. While daily data from such devices did not prove sufficiently reliable in this small study, information generated weekly — across more than 45 different…

The Cambridge Dictionary defines awareness as “knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience.” That definition perfectly matches the stages of my personal awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS). I don’t recall hearing much, if anything, about…

Kelly Earley teaches family and consumer sciences at a middle school. (Photos courtesy of Kelly Earley) Day 28 of 31 This is Kelly Earley’s story: I have been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) since I was 17 years old but was only officially diagnosed when I was 24…

Health Canada has approved the commercial use of ETNA-MS, a software-based medical device that uses eye tracking to noninvasively measure disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Short for Eye-Tracking Neurological Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis, ETNA-MS assesses disease severity based on a person’s eye movements. It’s intended for…

Where does the time go? Six months had passed since my last treatment, which meant it was time for another. After my August 2022 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), I was given only one option for treatment: Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), which is a disease-modifying therapy that’s used…

Jen Willis treks to the Lobuche high camp in the Everest region in Nepal. (Photos courtesy of Jen Willis) Day 27 of 31 This is Jen Willis’ story: It was June 12, 2008. I was 37 years old and had given birth to my third child just six days…

Sabrina says she made important lifestyle changes after her MS diagnosis. (Photos courtesy of Sabrina) Day 26 of 31 This is Sabrina’s story: My name is Sabrina, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, when I was 23. (Editor’s note: Sabrina asked that her…

Almost all of the nearly 700 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy who responded to a patient survey reported at least one unmet MS care need — ranging from insufficient access to primary care, social interactions, assistance, doctor-patient relationships, and information about the neurodegenerative disease. More than half…

My adolescent years can be characterized by a series of naps, long-lasting migraines, always being sick, and never being able to donate blood, which my family and I never understood. My journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) started long before my diagnosis in 2016. Let me set the…

Rochelle waits for a virtual appointment with her doctor in 2020. (Photos courtesy of Rochelle) Day 25 of 31 This is Rochelle’s story: I’m writing this on the anniversary of “that day.” I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, or RRMS, in March 2020. How fitting that I…

Kathy Young toasts a beautiful day with a glass of red wine in her backyard. (Photos courtesy of Kathy Young) Day 23 of 31 This is Kathy Young’s story: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2008. It took about a month to get the diagnosis which,…

Kristin Hardy considers herself happy and healthy — absent 22 years with PPMS, of course. (Photos courtesy of Kristin Hardy) Day 22 of 31 This is Kristin Hardy’s story: In 2001, I started experiencing symptoms of what rapidly manifested as primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Like a…

Note: This story was updated March 26, 2024, to correct the affiliations of the Multiple Sclerosis Implementation Network staff and to note changes to the program’s partners. The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) has tapped healthcare technology company Seqster to power its multicenter research and learning program, which…

I have not been kind to my body over the years. I was very active in my old life, although I was a little clumsy even before multiple sclerosis (MS) started affecting my balance. Active and clumsy aren’t a great combination. I accumulated plenty of bumps and bruises along…

A smile is the best cure, says Natalia Ancora. Every time you fall, just get up, smile, and keep going! (Photos courtesy of Natalia Ancora) Day 21 of 31 This is Natalia Ancora’s story: Hello, MS Fam! My name is Natalia, and I live in beautiful Australia. I…

Damian Washington is pictured shooting a music video. (Photos courtesy of Damian Washington) Day 20 of 31 This is Damian Washington’s story: Having multiple sclerosis (MS) is a terrible way to meet wonderful people. The type of camaraderie that some MSers share leads to some of the most…

As an active 3-year-old, I spent every minute of recess on the monkey bars. I was hyperfocused on getting to the other side. I’d fall and try again until my hands blistered from the hot metal in the Florida sun, and then repeat this cycle the next day. Grit is…

Angie Gensler became a certified MS fitness specialist, personal trainer, and health coach in the past five years. She led the fitness training alongside her mentor and friend David Lyons at the 2023 MSFC Training Camp in Palm Springs, California. (Photos courtesy of Angie Gensler) Day 19 of 31…

Hi! I’m new — not to having multiple sclerosis (MS), but to being a columnist. I’m a daughter, wife, mother of two young adults, dog mom, sister, aunt, friend, college professor, pharmacist, avid reader, nature lover, and an MS warrior. I was diagnosed with MS in 2014, although…

Lumina Imaging has partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) to provide affordable brain and spinal cord MRI scans to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The partnership makes Lumina the preferred provider for the MSAA’s MRI Access Program in northeast Ohio. The program is designed…

Nora Cherubini poses with Stanley, her service dog, during a beach walk. (Photos courtesy of Nora Cherubini) Day 18 of 31 This is Nora Cherubini’s story: “Thank God it’s not MS … because you would wind up in a wheelchair.” This is what a neurologist told me after…

Cathy Chester has been living with MS symptoms for more than 40 years. (Photos courtesy of Cathy Chester) Day 17 of 31 This is Cathy Chester’s story: My story with multiple sclerosis (MS) started more than 40 years ago when a car accident left me with a concussion,…