Hello, my name is Deanna Deschenes.
I am a friend to many, a wife of 16 years to a wonderful partner Mike, a mother
of 2 beautiful, energetic, and precocious young girls, Marisa is 12 and Mia is 6,
and because I have been diagnosed
with MS (Multiple Sclerosis), a fighter.
On December 21, 2004 while taking finals I notice my test paper was
glaring at me, it was hard to focus on the black lettering on the white
paper. This is the first moment I can
remember something not being quite right but I just chalked it up to exam
stress. As the days went by I started
truly having trouble seeing. I went to
the doctor, pleaded my case and he sent me home with drops saying I had Pink
Eye. I did what I was told and went on
about my holiday wanting to believe it was just that but my sight did not clear
up for a month. Through my questioning
the doctors, more tests were preformed and I was ultimately sent to a
neurologist with the thought that it could be MS. It turned out to be just
that.
I must admit when I was first told, I thought I was going to die. I
thought this could kill me, but I know better now. My MS affects me by making me so tired some
days I need a nap, or if it’s hot or I have too much on my plate, I have
trouble connecting my thoughts. I also
have what many refer to as “background noise” from my MS. My right hand and leg
sometimes feel as if they are either asleep or in a growth spurt and ache. This MS thing has changed my path but not who
I am. I must admit I do very well and
most would not know I had MS if I did not tell them… but I do. I have MS and so do many others I know and
this disease needs to end.
Many new things are happening right now in the MS world. I know we can
stop MS if we continue on this journey we are all on to control and understand
the disease. I am active in the local National MS Society,
I swim and workout at the local YMCA, I am a co-coordinator for my local MS
Support Group, I take injections every other day of Betaseron to slow down my
MS, and I believe.
Be Bold
Be Imaginative
Be
Collaborative
I know I am!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, My name is Shannon Knoll and my son, Jon-Jon.
I was personally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis on Dec. 26, 2006. My son was 4 then, and he was my reason for trying the therapies that are out there on the market today, which I haven't had very good experiences with. So, he is also a lot of my reasoning behind being in a research study, in hopes that there will be a new capsule that those in my shoes whom have not had any luck with the current approved therapies, will have other choices and options, plus it would be a therapy option of no shots!! Anyway, I continue getting up every morning feeling blessed that God has given me the strength to enjoy every day to the fullest that I am able. I have learned some limits, but there are always times when you push those limits, because, you have to. The main thing is, you can't look at set-backs as set-backs, you turn it around and look at what you did accomplish. As long as you look at everything as a journey through life with hills and valleys, ups and downs, sometimes more of a roller-coaster, and come out standing on top of the mountain, you can face everything. Having my Faith planted in God helps me tremendously, I have recently been going through a separation, after 15 years of marriage, moving out of our house, and basically a lot of changes. However, through all of this, I have been blessed; despite being in a double-blind study, in which I have no idea of if I am taking the real medicine or not, and definitely having plenty of stress (which can cause a relapse), I have not had a relapse, and no significant changes in my overall life.
The reason I support the National Multiple Society is because they are also there to help encourage people in my shoes, there are supporting a lot of the efforts to not only supply the medication studies going on across the United States, but they offer a helping hand for the people in need, and also, do their best to educate not only those who have MS, but there families, and the rest of Society. They have been an invaluable part of my life through the past few years. And this is a disease that touches me personally along with friends, that without the support group, I wouldn't have, and I consider that a blessing also. It makes a difference when you can connect with people who know exactly what you are feeling and have insight that can help you. I hope that you can consider helping, regardless of the amount, everything can make a difference.
Thank you and May God Bless You,
Shannon and Jon, Jr.
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More Teammates
Just click on their names to get directly to their walk page & encourage then to send me a picture and blurb on why they walk so we don't look like were hogging the page!
Leslie Isaksen
Burton Masters
Yolanda Masters
Lance Bobbe
Lisa Burns
Nona Carpenter
Michael Deschenes
Cynthia Isaksen
Carl Master
Marisa Deschenes
Jean Lynch
Tracey Royal
