Manda Adam

NO ONE SHOULD FACE MS ALONE!

7 years ago, I went to see multiple doctors and none of them could figure out why my right hand had been numb for 6 months with no evidence of an injury that could cause the numbness.

A month before my 29th birthday, I went to work one morning feeling a little strange, but still able to function normally. By 11am that same day, I had lost half of the sight in my right eye, and I was rushed to the emergency room in fear. When I finally saw a doctor at 1am, I had a migraine so painful I couldn't sit upright in my hospital bed and I could no longer see out of my right eye.

48 hours later, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and my entire world changed overnight.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and often debilitating disease which attacks the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves). MS is a permanent disease, there is no cure at this time, and the demyelination of the nerves cannot be reversed. It is the most common neurological disease in young adults and often attacks people at a time in their lives when they are planning families and building a career. Three out of four people living with MS are women.

I am one of the lucky ones. I was diagnosed early and started treatment immediately, and I have been fortunate enough to remain in the category of Relapsing-Remitting MS so far, without experiencing any further relapses since my initial diagnosis. There is still the potential for me to become Secondary Progressive in the future, and the fear of this happening is something I live with every day, alongside my other symptoms including chronic pain, fatigue, brain fog, vision issues, heat sensitivity and ongoing numbness in my right limbs.

I still work full time, with the incredible support I receive from Hanes Brands Australasia, and my wonderful MS Employment Support Coordinator.

Whilst I still have function and ability available to me; I feel a responsibility to help bring new treatments closer to reality for those suffering from Secondary Progressive and Primary Progressive MS. I hope to raise money to invest in repairing myelin damage that restores function that has been lost for people with progressive forms of the disease, and aiding research that will help prevent this disease altogether, so future generations can live in a world free from this debilitating disease.

With your support, we can work toward these goals and give people living with multiple sclerosis access to vital support services, like MS Connect, MS Peer Support and MS Employment Support Programs.