Support in the Community

Im going to start writing a book, right? The only thing I have is the title, but its MS: The Greatest Blessing I Never Thought I Wanted. In 2002, I was taking a shower, and my left arm was hot, and my right arm was cold. And then it started this burning and numbness, tingling all over. I went to the doctor and the doctor looked at my age. I was like 32. They said, You may have MS. And I went, wow. OK. And I found a neurologist and I walked into his office. And he had a copy of my films and he just pointed and said, yes, you have MS. The tears just started falling. All I knew was that there was no cure. And it was almost like having the worst secret and not being able to tell anyone. I And the thought of my girls getting married kind of a vision just kind of popped into my head. And I was thinking, I wont even be able to walk down the aisle. And I heard a voice just as plain and clearly say, you are not alone. And I thought, wow. OK. So that means I need to figure out who else is in this predicament with me. They were starting me on a steroid drip and there was another African-American young lady that was in the same infusion room. And someone was asking me, how was my MS doing. She looked and said, you have MS? I said, yeah. Why? She said, I have MS, too. And it was almost like, whoa, we found a buddy! We came together and going over ideas. And I told her about this thought that I have about you are not alone. And she said, oh yeah. M.S., you are not alone. Hey, that's almost like the name like Ms. Y.A.N.A." I was like, oh, that's perfect! So that's how Ms. Y.A.N.A. came to be. It's M.S., you are not alone. When youre with someone who knows and understands what youre going through, it really makes a big difference. Once the group got started and we were on a roll, we had five people, then we had 10 people, then we had 15 people. And I said, OK. Well, the one thing that I know is if Im getting up and Im putting on lipstick and Im getting dressed, I want to be able to give some information to people that is going to empower them, its going to enlighten them, and educate them. I also didnt want this group to be about pity. I did not want there to be oh woe is me, Ive got MS. OK. Well, guess what, we all have MS. And so lets figure out solutions. How are we going to fight this? I want to be sure that Im addressing all needs. So whether its childcare; hey, you need a ride to the grocery store, we have scooters and walkers. One of the services that we offer is to be able to go to the doctor with you. I mean, you can bring your husband along, but your husband is as lost as you are. You dont have to suffer in silence. And look at the power that lies with you when you say, hey, I have M.S. You never know who youre going to touch. When you're with someone who knows and understands what you're going through, it really makes a big difference.