Finally.

Well here it is. I have honestly lost track of the amount of times people have told me I need a website. I never really took it seriously until now it seems. But where to start? What should it look like? Will anyone actually visit? I noticed my social media posts getting longer and longer and I realized I often have a message. A message that seems to increasingly resonate with more than just people living with MS.

With that in mind, I created two sections, one that is specifically focused on life with MS and one that is “the rest.” This got me thinking, really no matter what part of my life I am talking about, MS is part of it. Everything I do is life with MS and maybe that’s something that can help create more awareness about this often invisible thing. When I climb a mountain, I do it with MS, and every seemingly normal thing I do, I do with that little two letter asterisk. It’s almost like a trademark but instead of the TM it’s MS. Looking back on my 9 years with MS, is that what I have done? Is my MS like a trademark? Does it own me or do I own it? When I was diagnosed I quickly decided that MS, well “you MS’ed with the wrong girl,” and I think the “this is the rest” section is my desire to prove that. I guess the difference for me now compared to that scared 23 year old in 2012, is that as much as I fight the symptoms of MS, I am no longer fighting to accept it.

I have MS and it is an inescapable part of me and what I hope to do here is show what that looks like for me. Maybe if there is a newly diagnosed 23 year old checking the internet, she (I say she because women are 3x as likely to be diagnosed - do you like how I snuck that fact in there) won’t feel so alone. At the end of the day MS is not a death sentence, there is a whole lot of life to live, and that is what I am doing. MS looks different for everyone, but I am going to share mine and everything that comes with it. This promises to be a site of the ups and downs of life with MS, helpful resources, fundraising events (when we are allowed), but also puppies, renovations, family life, fitness, acreage life, and a whole lot of other adventures mixed in. And biking, let’s be honest there will probably be biking…