Samantha Sims
“Life is not a rehearsal”
For a healthy, successful twenty-two-year-old woman working in the hospitality industry a sudden diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was quite a shock to Sam and those closest to her. With Sam and her mother rendered almost speechless, her partner at the time and now husband of 19 years, asked all the “important questions”.
Having participated in the MS Readathon in her youth, Sam was floored that she could be diagnosed with the condition she had supported many years earlier.
Difficulties with co-ordination, numbness and blurred vision, have at times challenged this efficient wife and mother, who educated herself and her children about the disease and how to take control with an unpredictable diagnosis. Sam has found that sharing information with her children about this illness children has provided many positives. Children whose parents live with MS often develop resilience beyond their years. They provide instinctive natural caring which helps them develop into brave and compassionate members of society.
“But you look so well”, is how many people describe Sam’s invisible symptoms – this can be an asset and a curse. Effective communication, education and disclosure to those close to you is an important part of your “tool kit” for a successful future with an unpredictable neurological condition.
The MS Ambassador Program warmly welcomes this delightful young woman to our team, and highly recommends Sam as a speaker who is keen to share with her audiences her experiences of living with an unpredictable disease, and all the ways we can walk, run, swim or simply volunteer to support the 23,000 Australians living with MS.
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