Jennifer's Story

My diagnosis

In 2004, I started training to run a marathon. I was pretty excited as I had never run any kind of event let alone such as grueling distance. But this is when my saga started...pain and numbness in my right leg. I assumed this was the result of my heavy training and ran through it. In the end, I managed to run a 30 km event, two half-marathons and two full marathons. I was at the top of my game and was so proud of myself. But it was during my last event that something went horribly wrong. With two kilometres to go in the Toronto marathon, my right leg and foot started to cramp uncontrollably. I still managed to hobble across the finish line but I knew something was wrong.  

Upon my return to Montreal, I immediately saw a sports medicine physician. At this point, running was out of the question. I could barely walk due to the pain and numbness, and was experiencing co-ordination and balance problems. I underwent a series of tests before an MRI in early 2005 confirmed I had MS.

This diagnosis hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew nothing of MS but knew it was not good. I thought of wheelchairs and doctor-assisted suicides. And when I shared this diagnosis with a few friends and family, not a single person knew what it was. Is that what Michael J. Fox has? Is MS like diabetes? What does this mean?

Tough times

It has been almost two years since my diagnosis and it has not been easy. There have been physical challenges as I have had a number of relapses. Both legs and arms are now affected...some days I have difficulty walking around the block and I am experiencing a lot of pain. I am now trying my second disease-modifying therapy and hope it will work to reduce the severity and duration of my relapses. And new pain medication is helping improve my quality of life.

While people often think of the physical challenges, the emotional bumps have been much tougher. They say that when you get diagnosed with a chronic illness (like MS), you may go through a grieving process similar to what you experience with any major loss. Depression, anxiety and stress are common. While MS does not end your life, the resulting uncertainty about the future can make life difficult. The months following my diagnosis were among my darkest moments. I felt worthless as I was no longer able to work, and even the most simple household tasks became monumental in effort. Worse still, I had little hope that I could battle this disease.

Making a difference

In January of 2006, I decided the pity party was over. I am now on long-term disability and using the time to do volunteer work with the MS Society and, more particularly, springboard from my communications experience to promote MS awareness. I also volunteer at my kids’ school and get to the gym as much as I can.

Volunteering at the MS Society has given me hope. The Society is staffed with hard-working people dedicated to providing services to people with MS, and helping to raise funds for research into a cure. And the pace of advances being made to treat the disease is staggering.

I realize now that I am not defined by my job or my physical capabilities (or lack thereof). I can contribute and make a difference in a lot of different ways. More importantly, I have come to realize that it is not what happens to you, but what you do about it. I no longer look at my family and think "poor them". Instead, I think "lucky me" to be surrounded with so much love and support.

“Coming out” for a cause

I "came out" last year in an effort to raise funds for the 2006 Super Cities Walk for MS. What started out as a modest fundraising campaign quickly snowballed and I found myself talking to the local media about my condition. In the end, I raised over $8,200. And while I was very nervous about revealing my diagnosis in such a public way, as I do not pretend to represent the 55,000 - 75,000 Canadians living with the disease, I received a lot of support and encouragement. But the highlight of my campaign came the day before the Walk (April 29, 2006). It was the same day that an article about me and the Walk appeared in the Montreal Gazette. And so when my phone rang, I thought it was another one of my friends calling to say they saw the article. Instead, it was the Right Honorable Brian Mulroney, former Canadian Prime Minister. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! He called to say he had read the article and wanted to wish me luck on my Walk. Imagine that! Brian Mulroney was motivated enough by the article to call me! I broke into tears upon hanging up, knowing that I had done the right thing.

back to top