From Diagnosis to Distance: My MS Journey and the Power of Setting Goals
In early 2020, I started noticing strange things happening to my body. I couldn’t walk in a straight line, and then my tongue went numb. Concerned, I visited my doctor, who advised me to monitor my symptoms and check in. Just four days later, the left side of my face went numb. Alarmed and confused, […]
From Dizzying Speeds to Vertigo – Jackson’s Journey to Diagnosis
Hi my name is Jackson Ruakere, I’m 30 years old, a plumber and gasfitter by trade and like to consider myself very fit and active. I have a passion for watersports and the outdoors, especially freestyle jet-skiing. Throughout 2023 I had been experiencing pins and needles and numbness in my hands and legs. I went […]
I May Have MS, But I am Lucky – Chris Lord’s Story
Today is World Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Day. Seeing the reminder in my calendar pop up prompted a moment of reflection. It made me think about not just my experience (circa 2 years), but the experiences of over 4000 Kiwis who are faced with this challenge, in some cases, for many years. On Friday, 11th August […]
Regular Kiwi Kid to Facing the Unknown: Angus’s Journey to Diagnosis
I’m Angus, 35 years old, New Zealand European. I’m married to an incredible woman, and we have two beautiful kids. I grew up in Whangārei and moved to Wellington when I was eight. I’ve got one sister, and no history of illness in the family, in fact most of my relatives live well into their […]
My MS, My Story – Claire Brown
Fifty-six is reasonably old to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis given that the average age of onset is around thirty-four years and I will always be grateful that, even in the unlikely event that I live to be 100, I will have spent most of my life blissfully free of this debilitating disease. Like most […]
Andrew – Passionate poet and crafter
Andrew Hodson was diagnosed with Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) in 2008. “I probably had it for 20 years before that. A mixture of symptoms appeared then went away, including numb legs plus pins and needles. The initial diagnosis was very confronting, and I shed many tears.” Shocked by what he was hearing, Andrew can’t recall […]