One-third keep their MS secret, finds poll
A THIRD of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have kept their condition a secret.
A survey by the MS Society showed many with the condition feared people would feel sorry for them or that they would face discrimination.
Evie Meldrum, 28, was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2009 while still at school in Edinburgh.
But Evie, who now lives in Glasgow, said: “I told quite a lot of people to start off – I think out of a sense of disbelief – but once the shock started to wear off, I found it really hard to talk about in the early years.
“I would get really angry whenever someone would bring it up.”
She added: “I feel like people don’t really like talking about MS or that they don’t know how to.
“I’m of the opinion that people around me should put their own discomfort aside, follow my lead and ask questions about how they can best provide support.”
An MS Society survey as part MS Awareness Week – which starts today – showed more than a third had kept their MS a secret.
One in 10 has kept it a secret from their partner, 33 per cent from at least one family member, 34 per cent from their employer, and almost six in 10 haven’t told their colleagues.