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My disability is not a tragedy and I am not a burden. I am not to be pitied and most of all I am not an inspiration just because I live with MS.

My MS and disability is just one part of who I am. It is part of my identity, just like gender, sexuality, race or religion may be part of yours. Yet society rarely sees it that way. And for a very long time I did not see it that way either.

MS will push you to your limits and expose your vulnerabilities. Most of us have had those days when just getting out of bed is a chore, let alone mustering up the energy to exercise. After my anxiety became infinitely worse during the pandemic and the return to pre-Covid normality had become too people-y, my boyfriend convinced me to start running.

The May 50K kicked off on the 1st May and we were so excited to team up with Unislim for the month.

Unislim is running a “Walk Every Day in May” challenge and we were absolutely delighted when they said they’d come on board with us and promote The May 50k to their thousands of members. They are encouraging their members to get involved either solo or by getting a team together, friends, family, colleagues or fellow Unislimmers. A bit of “healthy” competition is a good thing.

I’ve lived with MS for almost a decade now and I’ve encountered numerous other people living with MS, most of whom have gone on to become very good friends of mine. One of the first topics of conversation between friends with MS is the initial diagnosis of their condition.

The when/where/how of their journey with MS. These stories can vary greatly depending on the stage of life, the family circumstances, and the financial circumstances of the person around the time that they were diagnosed.

I was diagnosed in October of 2016. The diagnosis changed me, it made me less confident, less self-assured, more self-conscious and very worried for my future. I didn’t feel like myself any more. I had always been very independent, I didn’t want MS to rob me of that. I wanted to be able to take care of my children, I wanted to be able to provide for them. I wanted my life to just stay the same. I didn’t realise back then that things would have to change to accommodate this new addition to our lives

My name is Siobhan Lynch and I am one of the Regional Community Workers in the Southern Region which covers Cork & Kerry. I form part of the Southern Regional Team and work alongside my colleagues Patricia Lucey, Aideen Connolly and Wendy Knott. We each have our own areas within the region that we cover and I cover the County of Kerry- the beloved Kingdom!

I have been working with MS Ireland for the past 20 years and I really enjoy the work that I do. I work Monday – Wednesday providing mainly one on one support to people with Multiple Sclerosis. I also engage with other family members such as their spouse/ partner, or parents or children where needs be

The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight’ is an art exhibition created by MS Ireland in partnership with Novartis Ireland opening on Thursday May 26th featuring 12 original works of art created by people living with MS in Ireland. The exhibition has been organised to raise awareness of MS and the wide-ranging symptoms to mark World MS Day 2022.

When people are diagnosed with an illness or have mobility problems, they face a lot of firsts. The first time trying anything is rarely going to be easy and by the time the day comes around, the worry can be blown out of all proportion.

My name is Rebecca Doolin, and I am a 27-year-old primary school teacher from Mullingar in County Westmeath, and this year I am taking part in The May 50k, twice! Where I plan on running 100k for the month of May for MS Ireland!

I am running in memory of my Grandad, Rob, who was my best friend and my inspiration. He is the reason why I love the Irish language and is one of the reasons why I’m an Irish teacher today.

I like to think of myself as a ‘Neurologist’s Nightmare’ – a nurse by trade, with an interest in neurology and a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis to boot. I can nearly sense the dread before I open the clinic door. I come armed with questions – “But why?”, “But why not” and  with new research articles, new treatment guidelines that I want to share and discuss. Education is empowerment – the more we know the more confident we can be in our disease management and in our own health care decisions.