b'Life with MS TwT weerrkkiinnggMMyyHHeeaalltthhExploring creativity brings backchildhood princess feelingBy Diana Lea MaisonneuveThe earliest age I remember was three years symptoms. Because of MS, I missed manyold; I loved playing make-believe, using my milestones in my adolescence; I developedcreativity, and traveling with my grandmother, foot drop, numbness, twitching, slurred speech,Manmie Lea. I occupied so many airplanes I double vision, and pins and needles sensations.thought I could actually y! I was my familys I found myself a passenger on a rollercoastervery own little Haitian-American Princess operated by a disease whose name I couldntDiana. I grew up in a radiant house teeming pronounce.with Spanish, Haitian, and American music. I grew irrational in behavior, and althoughDespitemyfrequenttripsabroadandthe I was still a child, I felt less like one; thesebest that money could buy, I was unaware of uncertainties forced me to learn things Ihow hard my parents worked to provide each thought I was too young to know nor wereexcursion and activity. When I obsessed over mine to experience. I felt invisible because Idancing, they put me in an academy where Igot training in several styles. Still, at eight, my hadnt a place to go or someone to turn toinitial encounter with MS abruptly ended the that understood me. Societal peer pressures,reign and fairytale I created in my head. bullying, and depression piled up; soon, IOne day at school, my rst symptom, Bells became disgruntled, resentful, and suicidal. IPalsy, appeared; the nurse called my parents, deemed myself a liability to others and to me,who took me to the pediatrician. Unable to and thought it best to remove myself fromtreat me, I went to a hospital where Id become the equation as I saw my parents strugglinga temporary resident in the ICU for the next to maintain the lifestyle I felt entitled to. It tookfew months. Ultimately, at nine, I got diagnosed gettingoldertorealizethatsuicidewouldwith pediatric multiple sclerosis, an anomaly have been cowardice on my end, so I beganin 1999. At the time, I wasnt condent my to work like hell.fragile heart was ready to tackle the whirlwind I read books on health, medications, nutrition,ofemotionsthatfollowedtheseunusual tness, fell in love with music, and wrote storiesmsfocusmagazine.org 42'