Rosie Farrell

“I was diagnosed with MS not long after my 25th birthday but in reality I had symptoms going back for more than a decade before that. As an avid runner, when the diagnosis finally came in 2015, I immediately signed up for a half marathon. That’s also when I started a blog to catalogue my journey with MS. In 2016, a year to the day of completing that half marathon I had two severe relapses that left me in a lot of pain and I required the use of mobility aids for many years after. 

For better or worse, MS is a part of who I am. It’s not always easy, in fact it can be really difficult when society treats you differently and you are denied access to buildings simply because you use a wheelchair rather than walk. But there is so much MS has given me that I’m grateful for.

It was during one of my worst relapses that I picked up a paintbrush again for the first time in a decade and in doing so I discovered a new version of myself I felt more at peace with than ever before. As humans our identities constantly shift and change yet I found freedom in painting I never expected and I will always be grateful to MS for leading me back to art. 

I’m in my early 30s now and while life with MS takes more planning (and a lot of built in rests), that hasn’t stopped me - I’ve travelled, I’ve lived abroad, I got married, we rescued the most wonderful little dog and we just bought our first home. Society often teaches us that disability is a bad thing but in reality it’s just a part of being human and by embracing and loving that part of myself it’s allowed me to see all the positives that come from a life with MS.

Rosie is an artist and works part-time as a subeditor with Irish Country Living.

She blogs for MS Ireland’s MS and Me blog. To read more about her life and view her artwork, visit www.creativelyrewired.com” - Rosie Farrell