Anne-Marie was diagnosed with MS at 21. At the time she was a young mum working as a hairdresser. Her symptoms were aggressive. She quickly moved from tingling in her hands to being a full-time wheelchair user, incontinent and experience extreme fatigue and muscle spasms.
“I would get such spasms. One time it actually overturned my wheelchair and all Oisin could do was pick up the phone and ring my mother. He went and got a blanket, covered me with it and lay there rubbing and hair and saying ‘Mummy, it’s going to be okay.’”
Anne-Marie began a one-to-one physiotherapy programme run by MS Ireland and has moved from being dependent to independent.
“Within three or four months of starting ‘Getting The Balance Right’ I was walking: from being in a wheelchair, back to full mobility.”
Anne-Marie has an action packed life now. She still uses a stick to get around but by continuing with her exercise and physiotherapy she’s an active fundraiser for her local voluntary Branch, a spokesperson for MS Ireland and most importantly, a full-time mum to Oisin.
Throughout the summer hundreds of people donated to ‘Getting The Balance Right’ based on our appeal letter. MS Ireland and Anne-Marie have been truly delighted with the generosity of our supporters. Anne-Marie says,
“People are so kind. They obviously read my story and empathised with what the day to day struggle is like for someone living with MS. I suppose telling my story brings across how important MS Ireland is, and how important it is in my life. Everyone who has supported the campaign is helping me to lead a better life. I can’t thank them enough!”
Thank you to everyone to supported the appeal. If you didn’t get a chance to support, you can still do so here. All money raised locally will be spent locally.