Alison ‘gives back’ after support for MS
Perth woman uses her experiences to help others
A woman from Perth living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who gives her time to a free MS service has praised the impact peer support can have.
Alison Ellett volunteers for MS Society Scotland’s My MS, My Way: Tayside project.
The project is open to anyone affected by the condition in the area.
People are able to access free one-toone confidential counselling, peer support sessions and exercise classes.
It has already helped dozens of people diagnosed with MS in Perth and Kinross, as well as Dundee and Angus, to access support, counselling and information following its official launch in 2019.
MS is a lifelong condition that affects the brain and damages nerves in the body and makes it harder to do everyday things, like walk, talk, eat and think.
Tayside has the highest rate of the condition on the Scottish mainland while Scotland has one of the largest proportions in the world, with more than 15,000 people living with MS.
“I first got involved with My MS, My Way: Tayside when I went to see my MS nurse and she introduced me to the project coordinator,” Alison said.
“When I heard about the volunteer roles, I thought: ‘yeah, I can do that’.
“As I think about the first time a doctor said MS to me, I remember thinking I know nothing about MS but if that’s what this is then I want to know.
“As I did some research things I’d been experiencing started to make sense - it wasn’t just aging and being clumsy.
“Immediately after my diagnosis I needed a bit of time to process what I had just learned and how that would change my life going forward.
“While I shared my news with my circles of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, I asked everyone to wait until I brought the topic up for a fuller discussion. Managing their reactions at the same time as my own would be just too much.
“Not only did I need to adjust to my new reality, I didn’t want MS to be the topic of every conversation.
“Very quickly I met, through the MS Society, someone who was launching a local support group.
“She had been diagnosed over 25 years before, although she was around my own age and she was, and is, thriving.
“Through her and the group I learnt so much.
“While this disease takes many things away, only some of which we get back, it can also give you unexpected friendships and an appreciation of things otherwise easily taken for granted.”
The project worked with MS clinicians to host webinars in 2020 addressing COVID-19 and its impacts on MS and treatment specifically for people living in the area to submit questions and learn about the impact of the virus.
My MS, My Way: Tayside was developed by the MS community in Tayside, when MS Society research found there was significant demand for increased support services in Tayside, particularly for people newly diagnosed with the condition.
Alison continued: “For me it has been a long journey about finding balance.
“I live a life that I don’t need to escape from: married to a man who is incredibly supportive.
“We live within our means. We’ve designed a life where we both work from home.
“Just the two of us, our businesses, my MS, and four Canadian cats.
“It’s a full house but it works.
“The Tayside peer support programme is all about the person seeking support and their needs.
“As volunteers we have all been through a training process and have resources we can look to for assistance.
“There are times living with MS when we want to talk about something confidentially with someone who truly gets it as they are experiencing it too.
“This is an opportunity to do just that. “There is a phrase in the MS community: ‘I’ve got MS but MS hasn’t got me’.
“While MS sucks, it doesn’t have to suck the life out of you.
“And that is why I volunteer as peer support. The MS community has helped me to cope and thrive.
“This is my small way of giving back.” To find out more about the My MS, MY Way: Tayside project call 01382 938082, email mymsmyway@mssociety.org.uk or visit www.mssociety.org.uk/taysidemy-ms-my-way