I am a married, stay-at-home mom of two elementary school girls and have been living with Relapsing, Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 13 years. I have had 6 "official" relapses in the 13 years but have rebounded in full from each attack. I took Avonex beginning 1998 - stopping for pregnancies and then starting up after nursing. I had some activity in my MRI in October 2007 (no outward signs) prompting my neurologist to switch me to Rebif which I stared January 2008. I had some emotional/depression issues in December 2008 prompting the neurologist to ix-nay all interferons leaving Copaxone as my first choice. I started that in January 2009 and had a relapse this past December. I really am not blaming the drug switch as much as it was my scheduled flare up. It appears that I have flare-ups every 4 years (1997, 2001, 2005 & 2009). The flare up I think would have subsided a lot earlier had the taper steroid (after 5 days of Solumedrol) didn't keep me up for 2 weeks.

I have been very involved with the National MS Society since the get go. I have participated in many of the MS Bikes and MS Walks, served on various committees for these events as well as the Chapter Service Committee and was a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Capital Chapter here in D.C.

Outside of my involvement with the MS Society, I work part-time, I go to the gym and I am a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.