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Walk MS Superheroes

Treasure: Finding Joy in Slowing Down

Walk MS Superhero - Treasure
 

I was tired all the time.

I told myself it was because I had a two-year old, but it never got better. I had something called "foot drop." I would get dizzy and had numbness in my face, and peripheral double vision. It took a while to realize it wasn’t just in my head.

On vacation visiting family in Florida, everything got worse. After an emergency-room CT scan, the doctor told me to go to a neurologist when I returned home. I researched my symptoms online, and the neurologist later confirmed my suspicion that I had MS. It was actually a relief to have a diagnosis, and to know it wasn’t something terminal.

I wanted to try for a second child before going on meds, but my doctor thought my symptoms were too severe. As it turned out, I was already pregnant! The symptoms settled down, and I got on meds after the baby was born: Bennett and Hollie are 14 and 11 now.


When I was diagnosed, I wasn’t ready to do Walk MS.

 

I wasn’t ready to be involved in the community of MS. But later we started walking with a team who had a family member living with MS. It became a tradition.

A few years ago, we traveled to Vancouver, Washington and walked with a team. They raised so much money—it was inspiring. I decided I was ready to be more public about my MS, and last year my husband Winter and I created "Team Lewis." It was so much fun—a great group of about 20 people made signs and came out and walked. It felt good to share my story.

 
Walk MS Superhero - Treasure
 

Last summer, I had a bad flare-up. I was in bed for almost three months, and my doctor told me I needed to stop working. My part-time career as an autism specialist had become too much. With MS, people often don’t understand that you’re sick because you don’t look any different.Because of Walk MS, my friends understood a bit more about what I was going through.

I had hit a wall. I knew I needed to do something to move forward. I researched fatigue and MS and started exercising again. I started going down to the pool, getting in the water and walking around, at first for only ten minutes. Finally I built up to swimming laps. I learned that even when you feel like you can’t do anything, you’ve got to try.

Since last summer, I’ve felt like my job is to keep getting better—to try to exercise, rest, and have a normal family life. I get my kids out of the door in the morning and rest for a while. I exercise, rest, get ready for dinner, pick up the kids. I’ve done a lot to be preventative. Keeping moving has improved my energy.

 

MS has helped our family learn to not take things for granted.

 

It’s shown us who our true friends are. Above all, it’s made us slow down. Everyone’s lives are so crazy and busy—it can get so over the top.

When something comes at our family, we look at each other and ask if it’s meaningful, and if it’s not, we don’t do it.

My name is Treasure, and I live with MS.


Who’s Your Walk MS Hero?

Share their (or your) story on your Walk MS personal web page. Then post it on Facebook and ask your friends to make a donation. Together, we will beat MS. Together, we are stronger.

 
 

Thank you to our national sponsors

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