My Childhood with the MS Society

Looking back, many of my memories are filled with MS Society events. When I was two years old, roughly 10 months after my dad was diagnosed with MS, I began volunteering. My mom would bring my older sister and I to the finish line of the bike events to cheer on the bikers as they accomplished their goals. We would often stay until the last biker crossed the finish line.

I remember biking the Twin Cities Ride (formerly known as the 60/30), from a very early age. I can remember sitting on the "co-pilot" bike behind my mom or dad. One particular year stands out, as I recall it was very rainy. With each mile I (my mom) biked, my face got muddier and muddier! The mud from the trail was splashing up onto my face! By the time we finished the 30 miles, I had a reverse skunk stripe up my front, and my back!

When I was in second grade, my friend Allie, her mom Lori, my mom, and I decided to help with the Saturday lunch stop during the 150 Bike Tour. We watched as a refrigerator truck pulled up to the rest stop. "Hey, do you want to help me unload this truck?" The truck driver asked us. We were all eager to help! SO, the four of us together (two 8 year olds, and their mothers) unloaded enough water, food, snacks, and various supplies for 3000 bikers and volunteers. I felt so proud!

When I was in sixth grade, I became the captain of the "Monkeys Team of the Future" Walk MS team. I had just started at a new school, and wanted to show my new friends and teachers how much fun it was to participate in MS events! The first year I had roughly 30 members on my team. By the fourth year (2013) our team consisted of 52 members (can we reach 60 this year?)!

The staff and volunteers at the MS Society are amazing. In many ways, they have been a part of my childhood. My memories are filled with the pictures of friendly, and even family-like faces of those staff and volunteers. As I look back at these events, I am constantly reminded of the love, dedication, care and support from the MS Society. Every time I see MS staff, I am greeted with joy and enthusiasm. They have a special way of making me (and many others) feel important. Perhaps this is because we share a common goal: Ending MS.

How I Became Involved

My family first became involved with the MS Society in 1998, when my parents rode their first MS 150 Bike Tour. After many invitations from church friends John and Jenny M., my parents joined team "Blazing Saddles" in honor of Jenny M.'s mother who had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. With no knowledge of what MS was, my parents raised a few thousand dollars, and were simply enjoying spending time with friends.

When I asked them what they remember most about that weekend, my mom answered that, "everyone was very friendly. Volunteers, bikers, and MS staff all had positive personalities." She also noted that the weekended consisted of perfect biking weather for the hundreds of bikers traveling from Duluth, MN, to the Anoka County Fairgrounds (near the Twin Cities).

Nine weeks later, while attending a family camp, my dad woke up with effects which appeared to be the result of a stroke. He noticed slight numbness in the left side of his face. Friends offered suggestions to why this might be. "Maybe you slept on it funny" was a common suggestion. However, this feeling persisted and increased as the day progressed.

By the next morning, the left side of his face was significantly worse. It felt very numb, and he had intense difficulty forming words, as he had little to no control of the muscles in his face. This startling phenomenon lead to a trip to the emergency room for my dad and my mom.

While at the emergency room at Mercy Hospital, a CT scan was performed. A doctor informed my parents that my dad had two lesions on his brain indicative of MS. My parents were frightened, confused, and unsure of what may lie ahead of them. At this point, neither of them knew what MS even was! The doctor then gave them a referral to a neurologist, whom they saw that afternoon.

The neurologist suggested a visit to the local MS Society chapter, which happened to be in Minneapolis. He gave them a few brochures about MS and the three medications available: Betaseron, Avonex, and Copaxone.

The thought of visiting the MS society initially scared them. Each person my parents met whom had MS was in a wheelchair, had very progressed MS, or both. Would my dad end up in a wheelchair? Would he be able to work? Would he be able to spend time with his two young girls? How long would he be around?

The answers to many of these questions were answered almost immediatly upon entering the MS Society. As they walked through the doors, they were greeted by a regular volunteer, who had MS. They were surprised to see that this woman was not in a wheelchair, did not have trouble with her speech or motor skills, and did not appear to have MS! She informed them that she had been living with MS for nearly twenty years. This one statement gave my parents emmense relief. Seeing someone whom had been living with MS or so long doing so well, was inspiring.

Purpose of This Blog

I wanted to start this blog to tell a little about myself, my story with MS, and give some helpful informational suggestions.
My name is Emily Blosberg, I am 17 years old, I live in Minnesota (yes, the high temperature for tomorrow is -10 degrees), and I have Multiple Sclerosis.

I am creating this blog to spread awareness of Multiple Sclerosis to everyone, but especially to people under the age of 25. If you are under the age of 25 and you have MS, I want you to know that you are not alone! There are (too) many teenagers or people your age throughout the country who are going through the same challenges as you.

I hope to update this blog every other week, if not every week. Please feel free to read, share, and comment on this blog. I would love to hear your stories too!

I know this is a short post. I promise future posts will be more interesting and longer.

Logging off for now,
Emily