LETTER OF THE MONTH

Reading Clare Reilly’s ‘Life is for Living’ (My Story, April issue) regarding her journey to living with multiple sclerosis has inspired me to pen this response. Apart from minor differences, Clare’s story could be mine, from the throbbing lower back pain to her feelings about MS and her hopes for the future.

Clare, we are allowed to never be calm about MS, it has stolen some of our life dreams and certainly has a mind of its own! I too would love to not be in pain and to have no further physical deterioration. Those two paragraphs describe my feelings perfectly, feelings that have been hard to identify and even harder to express to others.

I love your messages to other MS sufferers, it takes time, particularly to learn what’s important to you and to find a form of acceptance. You are right, life is for living, however it may take time to learn this and adopt the mantra.

Thank you, Clare, for sharing your story, I wish you and all other MS sufferers the very best for the future. Thank you MiNDFOOD for providing a platform for such stories. Lastly, thank you to my counsellor, Erica, who encouraged me to write this as a help in my journey to accepting life with MS. Barbara