'It’s the uncertainty and the fear': Wombourne woman, 23, shares story of living with MS
She was diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis just after her 21st birthday – and now Amy Thompson has shared her story about living with MS as part of a £100m charity appeal.
Amy, from Wombourne, lives with symptoms like balance, co-ordination and mobility problems, and extreme fatigue.
Her most severe relapse left her unable to walk.
The 23-year-old said: “As well as the normal symptoms, my anxiety has got a lot worse since being diagnosed with MS.
"It’s the uncertainty and the fear that another relapse could come at any time. I hate not being in control of things and to not be in control of your body is especially frightening.
“I didn’t really know anything about MS when I was diagnosed, so I was really scared. The only thing I’d seen was people who were in wheelchairs. While that hasn’t been my experience, I want to do everything while I still can – because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
"I almost feel thankful I’ve been given something to make me realise how much life can change from one day to the next.”
According to the MS Society, MS is the most common progressive neurological condition in young people today.
Amy is one of 30 under 30s appearing in a new story and photo series from the MS Society and award winning photographer Spencer Murphy, as part of the charity’s Stop MS Appeal.
There are 130,000 people living with MS in the UK and, in the last year alone, more than 1,250 people under 30 have been diagnosed.
The condition is highly unpredictable and, when diagnosed, no one knows how their MS will develop, or how disabled they may become.
The Stop MS Appeal needs to raise £100 million to find new treatments, so no one needs to worry about their MS getting worse. By 2025, the charity hopes to be in the final stages of testing a range of treatments for everyone with MS.
Amy added: “I do have the obvious fears about the future. Not knowing how you’ll feel one day to the next, and knowing at any point you could have a relapse and be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life is quite an overwhelming thought.
"At the moment I can still do everything I want to do. But no one can predict how MS will progress, and that’s the scary thing.”
For more information visit www.mssociety.org.uk/STOP-MS, or text FUTURE8 to 70800 to donate £5 and support the Stop MS Appeal.
