48 msfocusmagazine.org Life with MS I'll never forget the first time I experienced a symptom-free day. After years of suffering, I was blown away that I could actually feel “normal” again. It was something I’d desperately prayed for, and here it was, given to me so simply. Well, simply in the sense that I had to travel well more than 4,000 miles to find it. I wasn’t just facing multiple sclerosis, but also struggling with morbid obesity. Myweight had always been my priority until MS forced me to pay attention elsewhere. Between the muscle spasms, migraines, blurry vision, tremors, and mobility issues, my weight, while significant on the scale, felt insignificant in comparison. At 24 years old, I had a flare up that made using a cane my new normal. I realized that if I didn't learn how to manage my health, I’d be giving up my entire future to a disease I hadn’t even tried to fight. I just wasn't willing to go down that easy, so, I turned to food. Instead of watching calories, Iwatched chemicals. Instead of buying processed “diet” foods, I got rid of processed foods altogether. Instead of obsessing about the scale, I obsessed about how I felt. I began the Overcoming MS plan, and within a week I lost 12 pounds. Within a year, Iwaswell enough to ride foran MS bike-a-thon. My life had turned around in a way I never expected. I still had symptoms, but they were becoming more manageable. At 145 pounds down, everything in life felt easier and I wanted to take advantage of the moment. So I quit my job to spend all my savings on a trip to South America. I left my cane at home and took off for Peru withonlytwoexcursionsbooked:MachuPicchu and a silent meditation retreat. I’d never done MS Won’t Kill Me, But the Stress of It Might By Carolyn Kaufman