This week is MS Awareness Week, and this year’s theme – #MSConversations – highlights the importance of talking openly about life with Multiple Sclerosis.
Leading MS charities are encouraging everyone affected by MS to share their experiences, helping to break down the silence and isolation that often surrounds the condition.
At Freedom Living Solutions, we are proud to support this campaign. Our Business Manager, Sam Mohabir, knows first-hand the challenges MS can bring, as her husband lives with the condition. Sam has kindly shared her personal insights to help raise awareness:
MS can be an invisible, unpredictable, and difficult thing to live with, whether you have it yourself or care for someone that has it. The symptoms can make people feel inadequate, embarrassed, and alone. It can isolate families, friends and make conversations with work colleagues difficult, whether you’re a sufferer or a carer. After the illness itself, the worst thing about it is that it can make your world feel really small – and that you’re in it alone.
Although some people may feel reluctant to discuss their situation, Sam feels that starting that conversation is an important step forward.
Talking helps. It’s difficult and daunting, and you may feel like you don’t have anyone to talk to. You may not know who to talk to. But don’t let that put you off. Talking really does help.
If you live locally in Kent and are looking for support and advice, Sam has some great suggestions to get the ball rolling.
There are some fantastic resources available. The Kent MS Therapy Centre in Canterbury is an amazing place that provides all sorts of help and support – whether it’s access to their hyperbaric chamber or hydro pool – as well as information on support groups for everyone affected by MS.
If you don’t have access to a local MS therapy centre, the MS Society’s MS Helpline is so helpful for talking through tough days and offering advice on how to start those all-important conversations.
We are grateful to Sam for sharing her experience. If you or someone you know is living with MS, reaching out for support – even when it feels daunting – can make a real difference.
You can find more information and support through one of the eight major UK charities that support MS Awareness Week. This includes the MS Society and MS Trust who offer advice and information, as well as local support groups that offer emotional support.