Woman diagnosed with MS at 30 shares story to tackle misconceptions
A woman has shared her story of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her early 30s to tackle misconceptions around the condition.
Elisha Samuels, 36, from Dulwich, was 30 years old when she started to feel numbness in her legs.
She said: “I put it down to weightlifting. But the numbness got to the point where I couldn’t feel hot water on my leg and I went to the doctor who thought it was sciatica.”
Two months later, Ms Samuels went to A&E after waking up unable to see out of her left eye.
She said: “Eventually after an MRI, I was told I had MS. I was diagnosed just before my 31st birthday.
“I just told my immediate family at the start, and they’ve been really supportive. It was only when I had a big relapse and looked like I’d had a stroke that I thought I needed to get ahead of it, and went online and started to talk and engage.”
MS is the most common neurological condition among young adults. An estimated 3,600 people between the ages of 30 and 49 are diagnosed with the condition each year.
A new survey of more than 2,000 people across the UK by the MS Society revealed that almost nine in 10 people have heard of MS.
But the survey also found that 75 per cent of people aged between 30 and 49 did not know that diagnosis at this age is more likely.
Ms Samuels said: “From soaps I knew a bit about MS. When you hear of MS you think of walking sticks and wheelchairs, that’s what I thought too.
“That was my own ignorance until it landed on my doorstep. It needs to be spoken about more.”
According to the survey, only a third of people know women are more likely to be diagnosed with MS than men and less than 30 per cent know that smoking, obesity and lack of sunlight can increase a person’s risk of developing the condition.
Sarah Rawlings, executive director of research and external affairs at the MS Society, said: “It’s great so many people in the UK have heard of multiple sclerosis, but these new findings show we have lots of work to do to increase understanding around the condition affecting younger people.
“MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable and we know it often strikes at a time when people are making big life choices about careers, relationships and family.
“If there’s greater understanding of MS – that could make a huge difference, from taking the fear away from a diagnosis, to making conversations with family, friends and employers that little bit easier.”
If you are affected by MS and in need of support, the MS Society has lots of information on its website: www.mssociety.org.uk and provides support via its free MS Helpline: 0808 800 8000.
Pictured top: Elisha Samuels, 36, from Dulwich was diagnosed with MS just before her 31st birthday (Picture: Elisha Samuels)