Blessed!

My mother is now 74 (and if she knew I was broadcasting that on here she would KILL me!).  When she was 20, and in Nursing School at the University Of Maryland, she went blind.  She, of course, went home.  After 6 months, her sight came back - the doctors were baffled and my mom and grandmother felt it was a miracle (it was!).  Once back in Nursing School, though, her sight worsened to the point that she could not continue Nursing School.  She is, to this day, basically blind in one eye - she can see outlines of things.  The other eye is not nearly as bad and she can definitely function and drive and all that (although, her vision, to me is a little skewed - she thinks I drive to far to one side of the road and I KNOW she drives to far to the other side! LOL).

Years go by, she marries, has me, my brother.  Through my growing up, I remember us just thinking Mom was klutzy (and she called it that too), and she would fall, but nothing terrible - just looked like a trip or something - she would break a toe or sprain an ankle, etc...  Most of the time, she would just have a bruised body and a bruised ego...

Right after my mom spent 6 weeks in the hospital for a burst Appendix (that was awful and scary), while we were planning my wedding, mom started falling all of the time - it was really upsetting and scary - and Mom would act like it was nothing, but I know she worried (that's where I get my worry wart status from!).

I didn't realize that way back when she lost her vision, MS was mentioned as a possible explanation (turns out that MS will sometimes show up in the optic nerve first) but they knew so little.  Our family physician said that he suspected that to be the case, but by then, my mother had had it for 40 years and it had really not progressed (thus Klutzy status!).  Once these falls became frequent, he said it was time to get a definitive diagnosis once and for all.  So, off for the MRI - and sure enough, she does have MS...  

Of course, we weren't that shocked and it wasn't too upsetting because everyone thinks she has had it for years and years - and she is doing great.  Knowing though has been good - she rests when she's tired instead of pushing herself and wondering what was up and doing a little of that beating herself up thinking she might be lazy (my mom lazy - never!).  We are all now aware and make her rest when we think she is doing too much.  She now avoids events/outings where she knows that it will be just too hot - it turns out that heat and too much exposure to the sun is not good for people with MS.  (My mom used to love to go to the beach and bake and bake!)  And she has an ankle brace to use when she is feeling weak and a cane for the same.  And about 2 years ago - a scooter - now, that has been a little frightening for the walkers!! LOL

She isn't on medication of any kind - she isn't deteriorating from what they can tell.  My mother has had MS for 50+ years and you would not look at her and think that was the case at all!!

Do you see why we feel so BLESSED?!

She tries to reach out to people when she meets others that have MS - and that has seemed to help a lot people - my mother is very outgoing and if she sees someone (a stranger) that appears to have MS or there is a slight possibility - she will strike up a conversation and before you know phone numbers are exchanged!

We have a dear family friend that was diagnosed about 30 years ago - she and her twin sister have not been so lucky (although Jane has such a positive attitude and is such a blessing to her friends).  She is bed ridden now and can not do anything for herself - she still talks to my mom on the phone about once a week!  I think about her, and I get a little choked up - this disease - it seems so random - almost like a tornado - why does it hit one person this way and another that way?!

I'm sorry this is so long - but I just thought I should share my mother's story because a lot of people don't know a lot about MS so maybe you have learned a little from my story (I know, not much but hey!).