It’s Valentine’s Day here which always marked 3 things for me:

1. The lover’s or lack of one Holiday
2. The weekend I moved into my first house with ex-husband
3. The start of a major MS attack that lead to my diagnosis less than a week later

Today marks 21 years ago that I was diagnosed with MS. Crazy!!! Almost half of my life I’ve spent with MS. It is hard to remember the times without the disease. Maybe that’s why I look back at my college years with such fondness. I didn’t have it then although I had some weird white blood cell count tests.

I remember being tested for strep throat which came back as negative yet my white blood cell count was so high they put me on antibiotics. They couldn’t understand why I had such high counts. I also had an abnormal pap at a very young age of 22. Very unusual as well. I had to have laser surgery in that region to remove some skin tissue that was deemed irregular. Again unexplained and unknown at such a young age. Never had an abnormal one since. I just think the signs were there but that’s just my thinking.

No matter what, 6 months before that Valentine’s Day I had an optic neuritis episode that alone didn’t mean anything until. It all came together quickly that week of Valentine’s Day. Within 5 days I wasn’t able to walk because my left side had weakened to the point of muscle atrophy. I couldn’t even hold a cup without it falling from my grip.

That was my beginning 21 years ago today and even with each challenge I’m still smiling. I’m still happy. I’m loved and I love others. I really have nothing to complain about.