Living with Multiple Sclerosis
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Van Tieu | 3/16/2013 .jpg)
"I remember having those tears, I remember being afraid. I remember the uncertainty. I remember thinking just the absolute worst thing is going to happen," said Tammy Lauer, who was diagnosed with M.S. in 2007.
She says it was one of the worst moments of her life. Multiple Sclerosis is an incurable disease that affects the central nervous system. It disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
"You might look at someone with M.S., who has M.S. and think there`s nothing wrong with them. But often times, there`s quite a few things going on. You just don`t see it."
Lauer says if you really observe her, it would still be hard to tell. "You may not notice that I move slow. You may not notice that when I walk, my feet sometimes shuffle. I have poor hand coordination and strength. I do tire easily."
M.S. hasn`t stopped her from leading a mostly normal life. "I`m no longer able to run, my legs move really slow, they`re stiff. And my bladder doesn`t work the way it’s supposed to," Lauer says. "The good news is since I started the therapy that I`m on now, not too much has changed. So I`m staying stable."
The monthly fusions Lauer receives prevent her from permanent brain damage from the M.S., and she is no longer afraid.
"Over time, once I kind of got used to it all, I came out a stronger person. There`s a lot of therapies that are available that weren`t available before, and that`s where my hope lies," says Lauer. "I do believe through these therapies, we are close to a world free of M.S."
Lauer will be participating in her third M.S. walk in April, where funds raised go to treatment research for M.S.
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