Author: elsims

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Multiple Sclerosis Fact #2

Photo credit: istock

 

The first known, but not diagnosed case of multiple sclerosis was in 1395. A young lady by the name of Lidwina, exhibited the symptoms of MS starting at the age of 16. The first diagnosed case of multiple sclerosis was in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot. He noticed his patient’s symptoms were different from the other disease that were already known. The first “successful” multiple sclerosis medication came about in 1993. Wow! Those are some big gaps in time between awareness and treatment. Which leads me to the next multiple sclerosis fact.

 

Multiple Sclerosis Fact #2

 

Doctors still don’t have a clue and MS warriors are paying the price.

 

Since 1993 and today, doctors only have a handful of “possible” causes for multiple sclerosis and medications are more of the same types of treatment. Back in 2017, there was an article stating the Epstein Barr Virus may be a cause of multiple sclerosis. Well, they just reintroduce that finding again this year, as if it was a new piece of information. I was diagnosed 10 years ago and to be honest, not much has changed in regards to the information I have received. Low vitamin D, environmental factors, genes and viruses are the most common causes of multiple sclerosis yesterday and today. Once again, nothing new.

Now, I have been thinking. I heard a rumor that when a woman living with multiple sclerosis gets pregnant, her symptoms may either go away or are not as severe. I can’t say for a fact because I have not experienced pregnancy as an MS warrior. Why don’t the doctors or the pharmaceutical companies look at what changes in a woman’s body when she is pregnant and try to replicate those effects with medication? I don’t want to have to get pregnant to experience feeling normal again. But I would be willing to try a medication that did.

I truly hope that over the next few years the medical field well start to make real strides in finding out what causes multiple sclerosis and better ways to treat the disease. I think we are long overdue. Multiple Sclerosis Fact # 1, MS Sucks! Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

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Multiple Sclerosis Fact #147

Photo credit: istock

This is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Week. I know, I know, it is technically MS Awareness Month. I guess at one point in time it was just one week and was eventually expanded to the full month. MS Awareness and Education (I have been leaving a word out) Month was established by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 2003. MS Awareness Week focuses on warriors and their stories. It gives people living with MS an opportunity to discuss their singular experience. If you are unaware, MS affects every single person differently. Often called the snowflake disease. When a warrior shares their story, it allows the world to see all the ways that a person can be effected. Oh and don’t let me start counting the ways.

So here I am, telling my updated MS stories this week. The facts I will be sharing with you aren’t scientifically proven. They are Ebony proven. Which means they are not up for debate. Unless, you walk my walk and live my life, these facts cannot be disproven. And the numbers are also randomly selected by me 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Multiple Sclerosis Fact #147

Carpet is the devil and rugs are its little demons.

I hate carpet and rugs are a close second. I cannot manage to walk on carpet or over a rug without tripping. It is unavoidable. Unfortunately, my walking has gotten worse and I cannot pick my legs up fully to walk. I kind of scrub my feet across the floor. My right is worse than the left. This unflattering and unconventional walking style does not work well on uneven surfaces, things that can catch my feet, and any little area unseen by the human eye. Walking is a concentrated effort. And occasionally I have the nerve to try to walk fast. Never a good idea. Thanking God for all the times I could have hit the floor, but didn’t 😆.

More MS facts to come this week. I will also highlight another MS resource that I hope you will share with any warriors that you may know. I cannot spread the message by myself. I need your help. Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚

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Black Fact: Ursula Burns

Since it is Women’s History Month, all my Black Fact posts will be about women and women owned businesses and endeavors, past or present. The value of women is immeasurable. We are leaders in the film, music, beauty, and fashion industries.  Women may not have dominated the technology and science industries yet, but they are breaking in and making a name for ourselves. Ursula Burns is one woman who not only worked with technology for a number of years, but went on to be one of the first to run a Fortune 500 company.
I don’t remember exactly how I found out about Ursula Burns. Maybe it was through a book recommendation on Scribd, a digital library app. Ursula Burns was the first black woman to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Xerox. She held this position from 2009 to 2016. Ursula started working with Xerox as an mechanical engineering intern at 19 years old climbing her way up the ladder to CEO 25 years later. She also was the chairwoman at Xerox from 2010 to 2017.
Ursula stepped down from her position as CEO at Xerox going on to work at Teneo and VEON. She also co-founded the non-profit, Change the Equation, an initiative that helps students become interested and proficient in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). On top of serving on the boards of ExxonMobil, Uber and American Express, Ursula has written a memoir called, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are.
I have referenced information from this article, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ursula-Burns and Ursula’s memoir for this post. Here is another link to gather more information about this pioneering woman. Or you can just read her book and hear it all in her own words.
If this blog post, or any other previous posts, has resonates with you, please share it with someone else. Someone who you feel may benefit or enjoy this content. It would be greatly appreciated. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚