All of a sudden, Hannah was struck with MS.
She woke up blind in one eye.
“I went straight to the emergency department where they diagnosed me with optic neuritis. I had an MRI and then they told me the news,” Hannah says.
Hannah was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
“It was a very scary time.”
For Hannah, luckily her eyesight returned within 3 months. But she still battles with other symptoms of MS. MS is a lifelong disease and there is no cure.
“The fatigue is very debilitating. That really knocks me around. I’ve had a lot of issues with mobility with my legs and arms due to lesions on my spine.”
Hannah also experiences nerve pain in her limbs.
“I’ve had a lot of weakness and issues with mobility – it fluctuates.”
No two cases of multiple sclerosis are the same, and the severity and progression of the condition cannot be predicted.
Hannah wishes others could understand the unpredictability of multiple sclerosis and how it can affect day-to-day life.
“You can be doing really well for two weeks, then one day you’ll wake up and half your body isn’t working. You can’t walk, or the fatigue is so severe you can’t get out of bed. Your body can’t do what you want to do.”
“It’s a disability you can’t always see.
“I’ve used a cane at times. A lot of people with MS don’t need any noticeable assistance and people can judge based on that. There’s a big misconception about it because you can’t see the pain and effort that’s been put in to get up to go to work or that social when there are three days of recovery afterwards.”
Hannah is making a difference for others living with the debilitating disease, fundraising an incredible $5,240 for the 2022 Sydney MS Walk Run + Roll.
Hannah says, “I think the event is a really good sense of community. I love that element. I particularly love that you can walk run and roll, so everyone can be involved.”
“Thank you to all the people that fundraise, come to the event and be part of it all. It’s really valuable and nothing compares. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
Hannah knows first-hand the difference your fundraising makes. “It’s 100% being used for all the good things that we need to beat and handle this disease. I think it’s really, really wonderful.”
Fundraising makes sure no one faces MS alone. A suite of vital support and services are made possible while research into better treatments and the search for a cure continues.
One service MS Plus provides is Plus Peer Support – connecting people with MS and their carers with a community of people living with MS.
For Hannah, she’s found a sense of connection and knowledge sharing through Plus Peer Support.
“I’ve met a lot wonderful people. It’s great meeting others that understand. No one really gets it unless you have it. It’s been really good to have that connection.”
