So I really can’t remember the transition of going from able-bodied to being disabled. I remember playing basketball in my son’s dad’s yard and it seemed a little more difficult. This was before my son was born. I also remember being in class (at U of M-Dearborn (I transfered from Western to be closer to my Neurologist)) and having to step out of the building because I felt my legs were on fire. It was winter and I just wanted to cool off.
I also remember a class was moved at school one day so I needed to walk around to the other side of the building to the other classroom where class was going to be held. I walked with another student (her name was also Jennifer – there were like 25 students in this class and five of us were named Jennifer). The prof asked if “the Jennifer’s are in college?”
As we were walking to this new location my legs were tired. I was wearing Doc Martens which are a little bit heavier than normal shoes so I was like stomping my feet and the girl I was walking with kind of looks at me questioningly and I said I have MS. I remember that being the first time I said that out loud to a stranger. I knew I was slowing down.
I was tending to use the walls at school to help me walk to keep my balance. I remember seeing an episode of ER with my parents. It was strange that I was watching ER and watching it with my parents but we watched it. One of the doctor’s sister had MS. They were sitting in a restaurant laughing and talking and another doctor walked by and thought that she was really cute.
It was time for them to get up and leave and her brother walked over and got her Canadian crutches any handed them to her as she stood and put her arms in them. It was after seeing this episode that I got my Canadian crutches. They REALLY looked like they would help me a whole lot. Sean was about 3 at the time and they really DID help me!!!
I remember that the doctor who thought the sister was cute looked at her when she put her arms in her Canadian crutches like “0h! She’s sick.” I got that look MANY times when I was still on crutches. Sean was walking on his own then and I used to tell him to “hold mama’s crutch” as we would go somewhere together.
I was on crutches until I broke my ankle during my student teaching. Sean was about 4 then. I slipped on ice on my way to my student teaching job and broke my ankle. I called my cooperating teacher and he asked if it “was MS or dumbass?” I laughed and it was 68 degrees when I finally left the emergency room. It was broken in half.
I was in a wheelchair as it took 6 months for my ankle to heal because I didn’t have a lot of blood flow in my feet. Things were a lot easier from a wheelchair. I didn’t really get out of the wheelchair after breaking my ankle.
It was the summer after I graduated from undergrad that I went to Florida for electronic acupuncture and I started the journey with organic food. It was then that I stopped all medications and started supplements and using natural EVERYTHING. I have continued on this journey for about the past 6 years and still do it but then I met Mike Batwis 5 months ago.
Now I really feel that things are starting to happen! I’m definitely not at the end of my journey yet but I am the most hopeful I have been for the first time since my diagnosis. I spoke to my cousin, Kimmy, today who also has MS and we are in agreement that MS sucks!
I really feel that I am doing something about it now! I will not sit back and accept this. I’m trying! I will not just get an electric wheelchair and give up on walking. It is SO hard at times but I am still doing it!