Marianne — MS LifeLines^® Ambassador

Fencing, motherhood, and relapsing Multiple Sclerosis—you wouldn't think they really go together, would you? For me, they've all gone hand in hand.

When I was fourteen years old, I saw the Olympics for the first time and fell in love. I made up my mind that one day I'd be standing on that podium while the "Star Spangled Banner" heralded my victory. There was just one problem—I didn't play a sport. I tried everything at first, but eventually I stumbled into a fencing club. From the start, fencing and I were a great match—like chocolate and peanut butter! And, let's not forget—I got to play with swords. How cool was that? I loved it. The truth was that I wasn't a gifted athlete, so that meant that my success would have to come from sheer determination. So—I dedicated myself to becoming the best fencer I could be.

Today, fencing has been a part of my life for 37 years. I didn't make it to the Olympics as I'd first dreamed, but fencing did lead me to some of the greatest things in my life—including my husband. He started out as my fencing coach—he wasn't one of those guys who was put off by a woman with a weapon!

After a few years of marriage and shortly after my 30th birthday, I gave birth to our first daughter. I hadn't really given motherhood a lot of thought (I'd thought I couldn't have children), but the "Mommy" role turned out to be another great fit for me. I felt like the lucky fish that got tossed back into the lake—I was where I was meant to be.

While my daughter was small, I started having strange symptoms. When I got too hot I'd feel completely wilted and sometimes I'd get a strange red haze in my right eye or even numbness in my face and arm. There were times when speaking and writing were difficult, but the symptoms would go away. I saw some doctors, but the screening tests weren't what they are today. I was diagnosed with optic neuritis, which eventually cleared up. I thought I was fine.

Six years, a move to Alabama, and another baby later, and the optic neuritis returned accompanied by numbness along the left side of my body. I knew things weren't fine after all. Right after Christmas, my husband and I went to my neurologist's office to get the results of my new MRI. The doctor handed me a box of tissues, told me I had relapsing Multiple Sclerosis, and walked out. I didn't have a chance to react at all, let alone ask questions. I had no idea what MS meant, so my husband and I went straight to the public library and started reading everything we could.

At the time, I felt completely unprepared to face relapsing MS, but it turned out that being a mother and a fencer had prepared me without my realizing it. I'm sure most mothers would agree with me that parenthood is something akin to sailing off into uncharted territory. When you're lost and facing a new challenge, you stand there with your battered copy of Dr. Spock in one hand, the phone in the other, and you figure it out. You don't say, "Oh well, it doesn't really matter." Of course not. Well, it was the same with MS—I had to do anything I could to face this challenge.

Part of my MS research was finding a doctor who would help educate me and answer my questions—and I did. My current neurologist is wonderful. Once disease-modifying drugs for relapsing MS became available, he explained that even though I wasn't experiencing any exacerbations, my MS was continuing to progress. He said that there is evidence showing that it's important to take disease-modifying drugs even when you're not showing visible symptoms. I started to think about how relapsing MS is like a fencing opponent—you have to be "on guard," if you will. I started on one treatment and then switched to Rebif^® (interferon beta-1a) as soon as my insurance began covering it.

My Rebif treatment is going well. On my last MRI there was no visible progression of the disease and no "hot" lesions. (The exact correlation between MRI findings and the current or future clinical status of patients, including disability progression, is unknown.) Plus, I seldom experience any side effects, but when I do, it's usually headaches, flu-like symptoms and fatigue. My symptoms are typically mild and manageable with analgesics. But these are my experiences, some people experience other side effects such as injection site reactions or increased liver enzymes. That's why it's important to talk to your doctor to see if Rebif is right for you.

MS may change a lot of the ways you look at your life, but don't let it keep you from dreaming. In 2004 something potentially devastating happened to me—I turned 50! I decided that my new dream would be to make the USA's Veteran World Championship Women's Épee Team—that's the fancy name for what we called the "geezer games" in fencing. I stuffed ice packs down my bra to keep cool (not comfortable, but it does the job!), and I worked hard. As a result, I not only qualified for the competition in Austria, I came in fifth in the world!

So—from fencing and motherhood I had learned to work hard, to have faith in God, and to stay positive. All of those things have helped me do what I need to do to take care of myself and my relapsing MS—from exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep, and sticking with my Rebif, to living a balanced life full of dreams. I've also learned that sometimes dreams change. Maybe yours is to read the complete works of Shakespeare or to dance at your son's wedding. If you don't have a dream, get one. It just might be the best gift you could ever give yourself.

This story reflects the personal experience of one person, and others can be different. Results and experiences vary from patient to patient. It is best to contact your doctor to discuss what's best for you. Marianne is an MS LifeLines Ambassador, and she has chosen to share her story with other people living with MS.

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