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KCTCS - Elizabethtown

Multiple Sclerosis

Having a parent with MS has changed  my life forever. I get upset when I think why does MY MOM have to have MS, she’s a great person and even better mom. It hurts me and I get very frustrated when it comes to my mother and how she’s feeling. I just wish there was a cure for her disease. My mom is the most important person in my life, I could never imagine not having her in my life. Her disease can do many things to her mind and body, but she knows I will always be there for her. I have learned to be thankful for what I do have and my life because I never know what’s going to happen next. Me going to college makes my parents so proud, especially my mother. I am going to succeed and prove myself to her that I can do anything, no matter what obstacles are in the way.

 

 

Personal Essay

Could you imagine living your life knowing that one day you might go blind or be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life ? That is a very hard question to think about but those with Multiple Sclerosis have that worry every day.  Multiple Sclerosis has affected me and my family personally. My mother has MS, and has been diagnosed with the disease for over 10 years. Having a parent with such a serious condition makes you appreciate life more and showed me how we can’t control what happens to us, but we can make the best of it.

As an 18 year old you think you can do anything, like you’re on top of the world! (At least with most 18 year olds) My mother had a different reality. At the age of 18, the whole left side of her body was paralyzed. Confined to a wheelchair for a year, the doctors couldn’t figure out why she was paralyzed  on her left side. They never found out why until years later. I could never imagine being paralyzed at 18, or at all for that matter. I’m just so thankful and blessed that she is fine now, she walks and does everything like nothing ever happened.

It’s an average morning, I slowly crawl out of bed and hop into the hot shower to get ready for school. My mom is usually up and watching TV and drinking her morning cup of coffee. When I’m in the shower I always smell  her fresh brewing coffee, the coffee bean aroma floats through the house, but this morning I didn’t smell the coffee. I didn’t really think too much of it. So I got out of the shower, got dressed and looked to see if my mom was even up, she wasn’t. I went to her bedroom where she was still in bed, crying and upset because she was in a lot of pain. I ask her worriedly, “Do you want me to get you any medicine or anything?” She softly replies, “No toria, I’ll be fine.” My mother never wants to take any medicine, she tries to tough  it out. Today would be one of her “Bad” days. She’s in pain and distress. This happens every once in awhile to her. The pain comes and goes, but she knows I’m here to take care of her, no matter what happens or how bad she gets.

My mother’s MS has impacted our whole family.  There are a few things she still cannot do.  She can’t be in the sun very long or get too hot because that worsens  her condition. She can’t do a lot of physical work because the next day she will be very sore and sick. As you can imagine MS effects our family in what we do and how we live. On vacations we don’t go to the beautiful ocean and sit on the beach all day. We usually go to the mountains , where it’s not as hot so my mom doesn’t get sick. I would prefer to go to the hot beach so I can sit on the beach all day and tan, but we make the choices that are best for my mom.  My mom also has to give herself a shot every night to help slow down the effects of MS. She was so scared and upset when she first started to give herself her shots, which made me feel bad because no one wants to see their mom in pain and misery.  She has gotten used to it and does it every night now.

Hoping for the Best, But expecting the Worst