My name is Julie Eberhardt Domina and I have Multiple Sclerosis. On March 15, 2016, I was diagnosed with a disease I knew nothing about. I began a new chapter in my life, a “new normal” as I call it; a life in which I battle multiple sclerosis every day. Since my diagnosis I have discovered that I am more determined, more courageous, more motivated and stronger than I ever thought possible. I am an MS Warrior and I do not let my MS define me. I am also a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, and a friend.
I have spent the time since my diagnosis trying to make sense of Multiple Sclerosis and all that comes along with it. MS is different for everyone; that is why it is called a “snowflake” disease. What helps one Warrior could cause harm to another. To make matters even more frustrating, every day for a person living with MS is a little different than the one before. Every time I think I have an element or symptom of my disease “figured out” it changes on me! My life has become quite the unpredictable journey and each day I discover new ways in which my life has changed since my diagnosis. Some days I discover positive aspects of my MS and other days I suffer from symptoms that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. You often hear people say that every day is a new adventure. Well for people with MS, every hour…sometimes every MINUTE is a new adventure.
“We don’t know how STRONG we are until being STRONG is the only choice we have.”
The posts and stories you will read here are my adventure, my experiences with MS. Why have I taken the time to put all of this into words you might ask? Why have I decided to bare my soul and share my medical and life journey with you? Because AWARENESS IS EVERYTHING!!! I was completely ignorant to MS before my diagnosis, so I fault no one who has never heard of it before. But I will no longer I sit back and keep my disease in the shadows. For a long time following my diagnosis I didn’t talk about it, I didn’t want people to know about it; in a way I was even ashamed to be “sick”. I didn’t feel like this was supposed to happen to me. But you know what? It did, and now I am determined to make the best of it. Meeting other people with MS and hearing their stories changed my life…so maybe if I’m lucky reading my story will change a life too! Follow my crazy life with MS through diagnosis, choosing and changing DMDs, going public, HSCT in Chicago, my new outlook on life and much more. There’s never a dull moment when you’re living with Multiple Sclerosis!
Contact me directly with questions, concerns, or a desire to connect!
JLynn1118@gmail.com
admin@makingsenseofms.com