22 msfocusmagazine.org Life with MS I suspect that MS was slipping into my life long before I was diagnosed. As a young child, I was the most athletic of the three children in my family. I loved playing sports, being out- doors, and swimming. Looking back, there were plentyof reasons to guess that something was wrong, like stumbling when I got over- heated from running on the soccerfield, falling down when I was tired while playing, or not being able to do jumping jacks during practice in high school. My teammates and I dismissed it as a growth spurt. The journey of discovering that I had MS started when I was 16 years old. I was excited to start driving, but I failed the eye exam to get my driver’s license. The eye exam led us through a series of doctors. At the time, I just wanted to fix the problem so I could pass my vision test and get my license. My ophthal- mologist sent me to a neurologist. Before I could make the next specialist appointment, I went on a family vacation with my parents, older brother, and sister to the Rocky Mountains. We took a leisurely hike up a mountain. The hike up was beautiful; the hike down was not. I couldn’t get my knees to bend. I remember telling my parents, “Something is reallywrong.” Iwasworried.They were worried too. I sensed that something was happening. My dad tossed me over his shoulder and carried me down the mountain. My dad had tears in his eyes as he carried me. It was a steep hike down. I got an MRI as soon as we got back to South Florida. Everything culminated in a visit to a MS specialist at the University of Miami who diagnosed my condition as MS. My parents cried. I walked out. I didn’t want to believe this disease was my problem. I thought it was a stupid disease. I was in denial. I thought, “I don’t care.” Today, I care so much. Soon after the MRI, I passed the eye test with corrective glasses. I had a driver’s license for about three years before I got into an accident. The breaks locked up when I was pulling up to a friend’s driveway and my car went into his parked car. Even though I don’t think it was because of my MS, since then I didn’t feel completely comfortable driving. I decided to stop. I had had this freedom and it felt like it was taken away. It was terrible. I felt isolated. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Sean Giblin