Janet

“I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis thirty-one years ago in 1994, exactly a week after my 37th birthday. The neurologist I saw at the old Newbury District Hospital said something like “You’ve got MS. I suggest you make an appointment to see your doctor.” So, I went to see my then-GP who said “I’m sorry to hear you’ve got MS. There is no cure, so I’m afraid there is nothing we can do for you.” I like to think that these days you would at least come away from the consulting room clutching a leaflet, but that day I left with nothing, other than a mind-numbing sense of uncertainty about my future and terrifying foreboding about my ability to cope with it.

And so my relationship with MS began, and it began with denial. I adopted the ‘Ostrich’ technique - bury your head in the sand and the enemy will go away. By ignoring its existence, I believed I gave it no authority over me. I was too busy looking after home and family, whilst working, walking, cycling, organising an Aerobics Club and studying for a degree, to be ill. Only my husband and a few good friends knew about my condition; I could see no point in worrying my family with bad news they couldn’t do anything about. This strategy served me well for about twenty-five years.

What happened next is still a bit of a mystery, but I suspect it was the Menopause that weakened my resolve and opened the door for long-ignored MS to arrive uninvited and finally make its presence felt. In 2019 I was diagnosed with ‘Secondary Progressive MS’. With still no cure available after all those years the Neurologist at WBCH offered instead two very good pieces of advice: “Get yourself an automatic car and contact West Berkshire Therapy Centre.” Battle-weary, I reluctantly accepted that I could no longer ignore the ‘elephant in the room’, pulled my head out of the sand and uncharacteristically acted upon both of his suggestions.

More than five years after I first limped into WBTC, I’m very glad that I did. Surrounded by others fighting their own battles, I’m inspired to tackle my MS head-on by working hard to stay as fit and strong as I can for as long as I can. We are so fortunate to have this facility, with the friendly and dedicated staff and volunteers who work to make it all possible. I’m also a member of the Berkshire Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre in Reading which offers - amongst other things - a weekly Pilates class via Zoom.

At 68 there’s inevitably a lot of things that I used to be able to do that I no longer can, but I try to focus instead on what I can do and driving my automatic car to WBTC twice a week are just two.

I’m still fighting, thank you.”