Here is what I have so far...

I was sixteen when I found out. Thanksgiving 1998. I was sitting in church with my family and I knew that something was wrong. I couldnt see. I remember leaning over to my mom and saying "Mom, I cant see." In our church in Iowa, where i'm from, there are three stained glass windows above the altar. The middle one is an image of Jesus on the cross, and even though I didnt know what was to come in the next few days, I remember that I have NEVER prayed so hard in my life, my eyes never left that image.
Over the next few days I was referred from my regular eye doctor to an optimologist, to a specialist, and finally to a neurologist. It was that one sentence that changed my life forever, "I think you have MS." So I did the MRI, the tests, the lumbar puncture, and my MRI showed something very scary, there were actually several lesions. Surprising amount considering I was only 16. This had been in me for years already.
My neurologist perscribed Betaseron, I had age on my side and my health outlook was good. The only downside was that I didnt know how to handle what I was just given. I knew nothing about MS. I was scared. And for a long time I was in denial. I felt fine. I looked fine. I FELT FINE!! My eyesight came back, and I had no other "Symptoms", or so I thought. I have invisible symptoms. The lack or balance, a slight gait, problems swallowing, remembering, finding the right word, and I am so tired all the time. Somedays it is difficult to even lift my arms. But all those things were so easy to explain away so I wouldint have to deal with it. I just wanted to go to prom, have a boyfriend, graduate, go to college. I thought I wouldnt be able to enjoy those things if I was "sick".
I'm 24 now. And I have had all those things, I just had them with MS. My husband is wonderful and comes to all my apppointments with me. I have come to terms with what I was unable to face all those years ago. I have grown up alot since then. And here is what I have learned. I will not crumble, I will not wilt, I may stumble and I may fall, but I will always pick myself back up. I will bloom wherever I am planted.
The hardest part for me was coming to terms with an invisible disease. I am very lucky in that I have not had any serious exacerbations since that Thanksgiving in 1998. So for awhile I went off my meds. I had switched from Betaseron to Copaxone. I was able to handle the side effects better.
Recently, I had another MRI done, my fourth. I had increased lesions. Heavily increased lesions. I had an effect but no cause. And that it hard, even now, for me to wrap my mind around. For there to be an effect, there has to be a cause, and I didnt FEEL bad. All that time I was walking around, thinking I was fine, my body had other ideas.
I have gone back on my meds, and I will stay on them. I work at the National MS Office here in Anchorage,Alaska. I feel like it is my way of taking control, fighting back. I will fight back. I will help others who are going through what I went through. I will help raise money for research into a cure. I will share my story so other people can read it and relate because they were a scared teenager once too. And somedays I will cry. I will cry because my tears dont compromise my strength.
I am 24. I had my d-day 8 years ago. And I have a full life ahead of me. MS isnt who I am. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an employee, a friend, an activist, and I have MS.