“Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that's what makes you strong” (Dessen). The summer of 2012 was a brutal one – the year we found out my mom has multiple sclerosis, or MS as some people call it. Multiple sclerosis is an auto-immune system disease, which attacks your immune system and has no known cures. My mother being diagnosed with MS was one of my biggest fears, it was nerve-wracking, scary, and even shocking; but I guess you could say it served as a catalyst for my growth into adulthood. Before finding out my mom had multiple sclerosis, I'd never even thought about what it is or how it could affect people's lives. The only knowledge I had of MS was that it could seriously change someone's life; my friend's grandmother has multiple sclerosis and is in hospice care, so this was the image that immediately came to mind when we found out my mother also had it. Although there were times when we could barely keep ourselves together, coping with multiple sclerosis only brought my family closer and further educated me on auto-immune diseases and their frightening effects. My mom has always been the most important person in my life. She is my true best friend, the one person that I can tell any and everything. My mother, Sonya Hall, is also the strongest person I know. She raised two children as a single mother, while attending graduate school and working a full time job. We've been through hell and back, and she's one person I can say has always had my back regardless of the circumstances, so when we found out she has multiple sclerosis I knew I would have to support her like she had done for me so many times before. At first, I was confused – we thought she had carpal tunnel because of the intense pain she was experiencing in her wrists and when we later learned the pain was an effect of her multiple sclerosis, we had no clue what was in store. We'd joined support groups, went to meetings, and researched everything we could to learn about MS. I couldn't begin to imagine how my mom felt; finding out you have a disease that has no cure has to be frightening, I was
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Her face was ashen, like she'd just received the worst news possible. Her hands were shaky, and before she could tell me what was wrong I was crying; it's so hard to observe someone you care about in a fragile, broken state. We cried together, and we ultimately decided we had to be strong, not just for ourselves, but for one another. This experience was one that showed me when times get rough, you must be strong – for yourself, and those around you. It showed me that strength means facing problems, working through them, and always keeping your head up, which is exactly what we did. We both changed our lifestyles, we ate healthier because a healthy diet and exercise can help alleviate symptoms. We vowed not to argue so much because stress could intensify symptoms and side effects; we made changes which were necessary to help improve my mom's condition. When my mom started her treatment, a Copaxone injection every night, I was the one to give her shots. It wasn't a task I looked forward to, but I did it because I knew it hurt her to do it
Her face was ashen, like she'd just received the worst news possible. Her hands were shaky, and before she could tell me what was wrong I was crying; it's so hard to observe someone you care about in a fragile, broken state. We cried together, and we ultimately decided we had to be strong, not just for ourselves, but for one another. This experience was one that showed me when times get rough, you must be strong – for yourself, and those around you. It showed me that strength means facing problems, working through them, and always keeping your head up, which is exactly what we did. We both changed our lifestyles, we ate healthier because a healthy diet and exercise can help alleviate symptoms. We vowed not to argue so much because stress could intensify symptoms and side effects; we made changes which were necessary to help improve my mom's condition. When my mom started her treatment, a Copaxone injection every night, I was the one to give her shots. It wasn't a task I looked forward to, but I did it because I knew it hurt her to do it