What is MS?
Let us start with the MS part of my MS challenge. MS stands for Multiple Sclerosis, a neurological disease where the immune system attacks the central nervous system. This attack causes inflammation that damages myelin — the fatty substance that surrounds the nerve fibers — as well as the nerve fibers themselves. Usually this results in neurological problems, such as balance and gait difficulties, fatigue and brain fog. Even although my MS diagnosis is relatively recent, I have dealt with MS for many years and therefore confronted lots of challenges.
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What was this particular MS challenge?
Naturally, I was thrilled when Nancy from the website “My Everyday Challenges” asked me to share one of my MS challenges with her and her readers. There were many to choose from, such as hiking Diamond Head in Hawai’i. Not all of them were successful. For example I totally failed the Manoa Falls hike . For the My Everyday Challenges website I decided to go with my Stand Up Paddle boarding, which also was in Hawai’i. Go read about how I took on my Multiple Sclerosis and rocked it!
Have you done other MS Challenges?
You bet! Once you live with MS, so many things are a challenge. Sometimes just walking around the block is a challenge, especially if I try to do it at night. Some of my favorite bigger MS challenges have been
- Hiking the Makapu’u Light House trail in Hawai’i. I failed gloriously and there were whales. I posit that you can’t call it a failure if you get to see whales.
- Yoga with MS. Still doing yoga more than a year later. Still can’t stand on one leg for more than a few seconds, but that is a few seconds more than last year.
- First travel with MS. The first of many more trips with MS.
- Bungee jumping off the Space Needle in Seattle. I bet you didn’t expect that, did you? I didn’t either. Go find out how I managed that.
Of course, this is just a snapshot of the many challenges I have set myself over time. Meanwhile I try to perform daily MS challenges thanks to the very supportive and useful MS Fitness Challenge group on Facebook. If you live with MS, make sure to check them out and win the battle against all odds.
Conclusion
It was nice to have one of my MS challenges featured on My Everyday Challenges. Hereby I am giving a big thank you to Nancy. I hope it helps to raise MS awareness to show people that an MS diagnosis doesn’t mean your life is over. The diagnosis just means that you will have to develop new ways of doing things and taking on your challenges.
Tell me what challenges you have taken on and overcome.
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Encourage other people to challenge themselves!
Comments
14 responses to “My MS Challenge Got Featured!”
Well done you for doing these challenge for something so close to you!
Jessica & James | http://www.foodandbaker.co.uk / http://www.foodandbakertravels.co.uk
Thank you, Jessica and James. I feel happy I was able to do this!
It’s amazing to hear that although you have Multiple Sclerosis it hasn’t stopped you from continuously challenging yourself and your abilities. I just read your piece on myeverydaychallenges and good on you for thinking to go to the doctor to get a proper diagnosis rather than bushing it aside! I only recently learned that balance is from ear due to feeling off balance after traveling on a smaller plane than a Boeing.
And yes to your mindset that even if you failed at a challenge you set yourself, you tried and that’s what matters! That’s amazing that you thought to give yourself different tasks to keep you active and not allowing MS to hold you back in any way, you should be so proud of yourself!!
Surfing in Hawaii is an absolute dream of mine, granted I can’t actually surf but I am a pretty good swimmer and love the water as well 🙂 Something on my bucket list is also Stand-Up Paddle Boarding, it looks like so much fun! Though I have to admit, any water sport looks like a lot of fun! I’m so so happy for you that you managed to stand up on the paddle board, sounds like such a massive accomplishment!!! If you keep at anything long enough, you’ll always see the results you want, that’s for sure!
Thank you, Sahara!
Yeah, the ear for balance makes sense when you think about it, we just usually don’t think about it because it is so automatic. Unless we run into issues, like you with your flying.
I bet you can make your dream of surfing in Hawai’i come true some day! Keep dreaming and figure out how to move towards it! I am still smiling every time I think back about my surfing AND my paddle boarding and can’t wait to do it again some day!
Congratulations on your achievement! ✨
Thank you, MelaninTalks. It made me very happy!
Such an inspiring feat and incredible achievement. You have a great outlook on life too. Bravo!
Thank you, Andrew! I figured I might as well have fun fighting my MS 🙂
Thank you for sharing! MS affects out family as well so your entire blog is very relatable!
You are very welcome! Thank you for stopping by and I am sorry to hear that MS affects your family as well.
Great blog! I love that you are sharing your journey with MS. Love this post.
Thank you, Batmom. I like the idea that other people with MS can read this and know their life isn’t over, you just need some adjustments / accomodations.
[…] had brought my trusty hiking poles to help with my balance issues and I was totally ready for this MS-challenge. We were enjoying the tropical rain forest around us. Huge plants, beautiful flowers, humid, sweet […]
[…] few days after my surfing experience I decided to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding with MS. Let’s just say I have a lot of room for improvement and I might have fallen off a bit more […]