MS Awareness and a “shout out” to my fellow MS Warriors

Written By
Kim Fryling-Resare

March is MS Awareness month and a great opportunity to spread the word about multiple sclerosis. According to the National MS Society, there are over 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.3 million people worldwide living with multiple sclerosis. Add in the caregivers, family members, and friends and you have an awful lot of people affected by MS. It’s amazing that there are still many misconceptions and a lack of knowledge out there about the disease.

I’ve said it repeatedly that I live my life each and every day trying to raise MS awareness. I try not to be obsessed or let it run my life, but I’m open and vocal about living with MS. To me, that is the best possible public outreach I can make. I’ll gladly share information about the disease, as well as my personal experiences, to help raise awareness. It’s just part of who I am. 

I’ve been open about living with MS since my diagnosis and this time of year just gives me even more of an excuse to be vocal. My husband jokes that when I meet someone, I tell them that I have MS before I even introduce myself. I think that’s quite an exaggeration but I now know that everyone is dealing with something.  Everyone tends to have their own “bag of rocks,” as a fellow co-worker used to call it. Whether it be MS or something completely different, I find that it is all relatable, and perhaps my experiences could help someone else. Speaking of helping someone else, I couldn’t write about MS awareness without mentioning all of those people who live with MS every day.  

Let’s celebrate you, my fellow MS Warriors!

This month is also the perfect opportunity to give a “shout out” to all of my fellow MS Warriors out there! I’ve met so many amazing people who are fighting the MS fight, and now through my experiences with LiveWiseMS.org, I’m meeting even more incredible people online and through our social media pages.

In my opinion, these MS Warriors are all superstars – each fighting their own battle in their own way, and hopefully, finding strategies that work for them. It is an amazing community of people whom all have similar experiences and a strong desire to share information and ultimately, to hold each other up. I’ve found that this group is not afraid to say if they’re not doing well, and fellow MS Warriors are always there for support and to lift them up. This group is also all too eager and thrilled to celebrate each other’s successes. In fact, one of the best things to celebrate is MRI results that are stable with no new activity. (Oh yeah! There is nothing better than hearing that!) Knowing others are having the same experiences and the same struggles is incredibly comforting and supportive. Whoever started using the term “warriors” to describe this population was so spot on with that description. We are all in this fight together! 

So keep doing what you’re doing, you MS Warriors out there! You inspire me, motivate me, and keep me going. I’m amazed with your internal strength and determination and MS will NEVER EVER take that away from you. I wish I had a magic wand that I could use to take away all of your bad days and make them a distant memory. I will always be there to support you, to cheer you on, and to celebrate your good days. I don’t need to tell you that those good days are so precious and that we should savor every one of them.

Keep staying positive and always maintain HOPE! There will be a cure. I know there will be a cure.

SHARE WITH US: How do you spread awareness about MS? Let us know in our Forums.

SHARE: