b'MS Focus ActivitiesEmily B. and Mr. Oscar MonkeyBy Kimani HendricksAt the start of her eighth-grade year, Emily closely-knit friendships unraveled, and sheBlosberg noticed a strange sensation in her contacted the National MS Society to connecthand on the way to school. It was similar to her with other youths in the area with MS.wearing a glove, but I only felt it on one side They told me that they didnt know of any,ofmyhand;withintwoweeks,myentire which made me feel more isolated, becausebody felt as if it had fallen asleep, she said. the only other people I knew with multipleSoon after, my vision was similar to those sclerosis were adults, she said. old, scrolling televisions, and my family took Eager to start anew as a freshman, Emilyme to a doctor." One told Emily her symptoms remained discreet about her illness until rumorsresulted from anxiety following a battery of swarmed the school. My peers convincedtests and to "breathe in a bag and you\'ll be themselves that I was a teachers pet; theyne. Fourteen months, more than 800 needle wondered why I was allowed to arrive late,counts, several opinions and MRIs later, Emily leave early, and turn in homework afterwas diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on Nov. everyone else. Emily continued, But they didn\'t18, 2011.know my struggles with pain or dizziness, norMy dad has lived with MS since I was two the fatigue that prevented me from stayingyears old, so I grew up with the disease in my awake long enough after school to completefamily and life, said Emily. Over the years, my work. To disperse the gossip, Emily choseEmilys parents taught her and her siblings to open up about her diagnosis.to read their fathers MRIs, and once she As an extra credit assignment, Emilysunderwent her own, Emily requested copies biology teacher greenlit her presentation aboutof her scans and noticed two lesions before her MS and the eects on individuals; culminatingneurologist visit. That day, my dad reminded the presentation, Emily said, The reason Ime that although I had MS, it did not have know all of this is because I have MS. Aboutme; he showed me how not to allow multiple a quarter of the class embraced her, oeringsclerosis to get in the way even in dealing with support of any kind. Within months, that supportthe uncertainty of my symptoms, Emily said. multipliedduringanall-schoolassembly;Extra credit assignment she replayed a recent local news story abouther and her father\'s diagnoses and recruitedDespite being at the top of her advanced her teammates for Walk MS, a National MSclasses and student council president, Emilys Society event.msfocusmagazine.org 34'