Kate Wain
“If you met me, you would never know that anything was wrong with me.”
My name is Kate and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in March 2017. I can trace symptoms of MS dating back for years prior but, like many people, getting a diagnosis took quite some time.
I knew something was wrong when I started getting weird sensations in my feet and legs that eventually crept all the way up to my hips. It took me all year to get a referral to a neurologist who referred me for an MRI and eventually diagnosed me.
I have relapsing remitting MS, which means I recover from a relapse and then I am well until the next relapse. It’s crazy because sometimes I can’t even tell that I’m having a relapse! Since my diagnosis in 2017, I have accrued several new lesions and I am currently on a drug called Ocrevus, which is a 6-monthly infusion in hospital. This drug is controlling my MS and since I started taking it, (about a year ago), I have had no new lesions or disease progression.
If you met me, you would never know that anything was wrong with me. I work a busy job on a full-time basis, play competition tennis and softball and regularly go to the gym. Having a MS diagnosis hasn’t changed me at all – I still enjoy wine, travelling and nights out with my friends just as much as the next person.
I don’t shy away from talking about MS – I hope that I can educate audiences by showing them that that life goes on after a MS diagnosis. Speaking up about having MS is hard, but if one person with MS finds hope after hearing my story, then it’s been worth it.
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