The Day Everything Changed: Receiving My MS Diagnosis (Part One)

As a public speaker and writer, I've learned the power of sharing one's truth. Today, I'm sharing the first part of my journey with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)—the day I got the diagnosis—with the hope that my story might resonate and help someone else.

The date is relevant because exactly five years ago, on this very same date, I found myself sitting in a room that would change my life forever [00:00].

Setting the Scene

My visit wasn't originally about anything serious; I had gone in to see an orthopedist, expecting some news about my shoulder, which was hurting [00:07]. They had asked me to go in and get an MRI. This was back in the height of the pandemic, so we were all masked up, dealing with the intense reality of that time [00:13].

I was sitting in this small room—seriously, it wasn't much bigger than my shoulders [00:20]—and I was starting to get hot with my mask on. My only thought was, "Alright, my shoulder is hurting me, what is the orthopedist going to say?" [00:33].

The Defining Moment

A doctor walked in, a very wonderful doctor. I remember her to this day, specifically because her hair was long and flaxing down her back [00:40]. It was a cool detail that stands out in my memory.

She sits down in front of me, with her mask on, and then she did it: She put her hand on my thigh [00:54].

Instantly, my mind screamed, "What the heck does that mean?" [01:01]. It was that moment where you realize a doctor doesn't make a gesture that personal unless there's something dire that's about to be shared with you [01:08].

And then she shared the news. I had been diagnosed with something I had never truly heard of before: Multiple Sclerosis[01:16].

That was the start of a journey—a challenge that has since become a central part of my life and led me to focus on creativity and effectiveness in a whole new way. Stay tuned for the next part of the story.