Living with M.S.

"Living with M.S. is sort of like training for a long race. The harder you try, and the longer you keep at it, the stronger you become.
Eventually, looking back, you may be amazed at the power you possessed, even when you had no idea it was within your reach." (Linda Ann Nickerson)

Saturday

You can’t possibly have multiple sclerosis!




Hey, good lookin'. Here’s an MS riddle.

Q: When is a compliment not so complimentary?
A: When it’s a slam against your daily reality.

Raise your hands, MSers, if you’ve heard this one:

“You can’t possibly have multiple sclerosis. You look so good!”

What do people expect?

Are MSers supposed to be grotesque, hideous, deformed, misshapen, frightening creatures? Should ignorant individuals be disappointed that we’re not glossy-eyed, drooling, and disheveled?

And what if our clothing is clean, neat, and maybe even a little stylish?

Do appearances give others license to question the medical experts’ diagnoses or our everyday challenges?

It’s not called an invisible disease for nothing, folks.

Most of us are fighting multiple sclerosis with all we are. Maybe we still bike, run, or swim. Perhaps we give it all we’ve got simply to rise and face each day. Either way and any way in between, MSers are warriors and marathoners.

We aim to go the distance.

Surprise! We might even look not-so-bad, while we are at it.

Excuse us, if we don’t appear the way people think we should.

A healthy appearance does not negate the lifelong struggle with which we live.

We’re just choosing to live it out anyway – as best we can.

And others’ denial of our reality threatens to set us back a bit, when we’re slugging our way forward, step by step, living with MS.

There’s a world of difference between “You look good,” and “But you look good,” especially when it comes to a chronic medical condition like multiple sclerosis.

Image/s:
You look so good –
generated by this user on txt2pic

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