MS

MS has made my life different than the life most kids experience. MS has made me grow up a lot faster than most kids have to. MS has made our family stronger than it would have been if my dad had not been diagnosed with it. I can’t say that I’m glad that my dad has MS, but I would not be the person I am today if he had not been diagnosed with it. MS has played a huge role in who I am as a person. It has made me stronger than I ever thought I would have to be.
When my dad was diagnosed with MS in May 2000, I was 9 years old. I felt like MS took away my chance of a having a typical relationship with my dad. Because of MS, my dad couldn’t do things such as going to the beach or anywhere that is hot. He also experienced mood changes. He was out of work for two years, which created even more stress. Those two years were the hardest years of my life. Because money was so tight, we had to live our lives very conservatively. We all had to decide to work together as a family and gather up a tremendous amount of patience and commitment to deal with the effects of this disease.
Because of those two years, I went to a different high school. Instead of going to the regular public school, I went to a small private high school at Wheaton Academy. Now, it sounds weird that I got to go to a private high school when money was already tight. However, because our money was so tight, my school was able to give us financial aid so that I could get a better education. Therefore, I was in a better environment surrounded with people who cared about me and my family, and they wanted to see me excel despite the troubles at home. The only reason I got to go to Wheaton Academy is because of MS. MS has taken away some things I wish I had, but I can say without a second thought that it has brought me the best thing that has ever happened to me in allowing me to attend Wheaton Academy.
I never realized how much of a blessing MS was until my sophomore year in high school. I was in bible class, and we were given an assignment where we were asked to share our faith journey. This basically included who we are and how we got here. When I put mine all together, it was your basic story. I was born and my parents took me to church every Sunday. I had to be very sick to skip church. I was saved in middle school, and now I’m living my life for Christ. That was my faith journey that I was going to share with everyone. I was talking to my teacher and going over how I was going to present it to the class a week before the project was due. After I was all finished explaining, my teacher looked me in the eye and told me something I will never forget. She said, “Allison, I know that story is true. I also know that’s not the whole story. You are way to mature of a Christian and person for that to be the whole story. I don’t know what has happened in your life, but I know it’s something big, and I know you’re scared to talk about it. Your story can change lives. Please share the whole story with us.” So that’s what I did. We sat there and I told her about my dad. I told her how scared I was of MS and how I hated talking about it because I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me. She then asked me to share it with the class for my project. I showed up to class a week later scared to death of what I was about to do. She called my name to present and I pulled out a needle that just the night before had medicated my dad, just like it does every week, and I shared my whole story. From that day on I have not been scared of MS. From that day on I realized that my story can change lives, and it can do it in a way with out people feeling sorry for me. I realized that the fact that my dad has MS makes me different, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a chance to share a story not a lot of people have a chance to share. If it weren’t for my teacher, I don’t think I would have ever talked about it. That is just another way MS has blessed me. It put me in a school where people love me and where my teachers bring me to do what God has been pushing me to do. In that place, I am surrounded by love and not just any love: God’¬s love. If my dad did not have MS, I don’t know that I would have the strength and character that I possess today. For that reason, I’ve decided to look at how MS has blessed me in my life rather than it being something that has been an inconvenience. Through the hardships, I’ve learned that you have to take what is given to you in this life and make something of it. That’s exactly what I did and am still trying to do today.