I’d never heard of this disease before

When Rayan from the UAE was diagnosed at the hospital, she had no idea what MS was. Rayan shared her experience in the My MS diagnosis animation. Read her full animation below.

“The first symptom I got was numbness. My full left body went numb gradually.

I was at the hospital when I was told I have MS. I remember not being able to process what I’ve been told because I’ve never heard of this disease before

It took a week for me to be diagnosed, and I did 2MRIs, a lot of blood tests, and a spinal tap from my back. I remember this part of my life as very…weird? I wasn’t processing what the doctor has told me and that this is a lifetime thing. Especially that my parents were very worried for me.

The greatest challenge I faced was the medication prices, since all the MS meds are expensive. However, the insurance helped.

The thing that helped me most when I first got diagnosed was finding the MS society, that helped me find people that I can relate to because I was so lost.

To anyone that just got diagnosed with MS, I want to tell you that… believe me everything happens for a reason. Perhaps this happened to make you stronger than you already are… so don’t give up.”

Rayan was one of the incredible contributors of the My MS Diagnosis animation. You can hear her voice and see her story animated below. Our thanks to Rayan and the National MS Society in the UAE.