MS was largely unknown in my country, it was a mystery

When Najla first began experiencing numbness, blurred vision, and other mysterious symptoms, she was left searching for answers. At the time, MS was largely unknown in Yemen, and no one could explain what was happening, making the illness feel like an unsolved riddle. Her eventual diagnosis became the turning point that inspired her and her husband to establish the Yemeni Association for the Care of Multiple Sclerosis Patients to support others facing the same journey. 

On the occasion of World MS Day, I share with you a chapter of my life, a story that began in fog and ended in the light of awareness and hope.

In 2006, my journey began with a ‘heavy guest’ whose name I did not yet know. It started with a mysterious blur in my vision; it wasn’t just passing fatigue, but the first curtain that dimmed the clarity of my life. This was followed by episodes of numbness in my limbs, eventually reaching periods of complete loss of mobility that felt like an eternity.

I spent seven full years trapped in a whirlwind of questions, seven years of confusion with a disease that was still extremely ‘mysterious’ and largely unknown in Yemeni society, as if I were fighting an enemy with no identity.

I was imprisoned by symptoms, unsure whether it was a physical illness, psychological exhaustion, or an unsolvable riddle – until the turning point arrived and everything changed when I married my life partner. Thanks to his medical background, my husband was not only emotional support; he decided to fight my battle as a researcher and investigator. He tirelessly immersed himself in scientific research, analyzing, connecting, and comparing every pain attack I experienced with every piece of available medical information about multiple sclerosis (MS).

In 2013, the fog lifted. Through his determination and research, I finally received my diagnosis. It was not merely a name for an illness – it was the beginning of a new journey of confrontation and awareness.

For us, the story was not just an individual treatment journey; it became a mission. We realized that the pain I had endured in silence for years was shared by many in Yemen without diagnosis or guidance. From that realization, hope was born. My husband founded the Yemeni Association for the Care of Multiple Sclerosis Patients to be a voice for those without one, and a scientific and social shelter for a disease that was once a “ghost” unknown to the public.

Today, as we mark World Multiple Sclerosis Day, I look back at my past not with regret, but with gratitude. MS taught me that physical weakness can be the gateway to unbreakable inner strength, and that diagnosis was not the end of my path, but the moment my true life began – a life in which my husband and I became part of the fight against uncertainty, the spread of awareness, and the healing of others’ wounds.

My message to you:
Do not let MS define you; instead, be the one who understands it. Challenges, no matter how long they last, will always be far smaller than the human will when there is someone who truly loves you and believes in your cause.

Our thanks to Najla and the Yemeni Association for the Care of Multiple Sclerosis Patients. If you have an MS diagnosis story to share you can add your experience to the World MS Day map.