Truth Be Told MS

When Carlin was 19 and a sophomore in college she was diagnosed with MS. Shortly after being diagnosed, Carlin lost 2 of her closest friends. Experiencing the loss of her friends gave Carlin a new lease on life. Hard as it was to deal with school, MS and death Carlin decided to go overseas and study and enjoy her life to the fullest. She didn’t let MS hold her back even when she had no use of her left side, instead she started travelling.

Carlin may not have been able to control her symptoms but what she was able to control was how she would lead her life. 

When Truth Be Told started, I wanted to create a space for people with MS to share their stories and to live their truth to the fullest. Imagine my surprise when I came across this amazing, funny, honest book about living with MS “Stumbling In Flats”. I laughed, I cried and I felt the author, Barbara Stensland’s truth.

Single mother Barbara was 37, when she was diagnosed with MS. She went to bed one night and woke up the next morning a changed person. For two years Barbara didn’t want to accept what her body was telling her. One day she decided to embrace her MS by writing about it.

This week I got to talk with Barbara about the inspiration that led to her book, funny anecdotes and different experiences she’s gone through while Living with MS.

Click the link below to hear the hilarious, witty and real Barbara Stensland, tell me all about it.

Last week we let you know which travel destinations and hotels were the most accommodating for those of us living with disabilities, but what about the actual travel part? Dealing with other passengers, long walkways and air hosts that may not be so understanding can be a lot to handle before getting to enjoy some much-deserved rest and relaxation.

Former journalist for the Associated Press, Ed Tobias, has travelled to a lot of different places in the world because of his work. Diagnosed with MS in the 80’s, Ed didn’t let his diagnosis stop him from continuing his work. Throughout the years Ed has passed through a ton of airports and has come to realize that getting through them is not an easy task for anyone let alone someone living with MS.

Through his experiences, Ed shares tips on navigating the airport and having a stress-free travel.

Read Ed’s blog at www.themswire.com for more tips and tricks about travelling, working, treating and living with MS.

Travelling when you have MS can be very overwhelming. Is the hotel accessible? Do the pools have steps? How’s the bathroom accessibility? Is it too hot?? There are tons of questions that need to be answered when you’re living with MS and looking to travel to a new country.

Good thing Tarita Davenock, CEO of Travel for All takes all the guess work out for you. When Tarita was 29 she was diagnosed with MS. Unable to continue her work as a social worker, Tarita decided to focus her energies on something that she really enjoyed…travel.

Tarita made it her mission to offer a travel agency to people with disabilities that helps people find beautiful travel destinations that fit all of their accessibility needs.

As a writer in Hollywood for hit TV show The O.C. Cory Martin was at the peak of her career. For the majority of her twenties Cory focused on building her future and didn’t think much about dating. That was until she turned 28 and was diagnosed with MS. With a new outlook on life Cory decided to start dating right away.

Cory soon found out dating with MS would prove to have its own set of challenges. Do you tell your date you have MS right away? How will they react? When’s the right time? Cory faced all these questions and more. Cory relays her journey of dating with MS in her book Love Sick and talks to Marie about dating mishaps and gives some tips and advice on dating.

This week Marie talks with resident Neurologist Dr. Beaber.

Dr. Beaber works out of the Kaiser Permanente medical center in Los Angeles and has been practicing neurology for the past 10 years.

Dr. Beaber answers questions about cannabis, alternative treatments and different symptoms that affect people living with MS.

Stay tuned for Dr. Beaber's next appearance where he will be answering your questions!

Dave Bexfield, the founder of www.ActiveMSers.org, sits down with Marie this week to talk about being active and staying fit while living with MS. Dave’s motto is: Be Active, Stay Fit and Keep Exploring and his life is a true testament to those words. Diagnosed in 2006, after finally escaping the “freak-out zone”, Dave began sharing his journey and adventures, while travelling across the world, with his readers.

Dave talks about the rate at which his MS became aggressive, clinical trials and stem cell transplants. In 2010 Dave received the transplant and lived almost symptom free for 4 years before symptoms slowly began to make their way back. With his wife Laura by his side, Dave still remains active with the use of whatever he can get his hands on to keep him mobile.

Relationships can be challenging enough, but for people with MS broaching the topic of dating and MS could seem like a daunting task.

When Jennifer was speaking at a MS support group, she met her husband Dan. Both with varying degrees of symptoms due to MS, Jennifer and Dan have built their relationship on strength, trust and a deep understanding of each other that most of us could only dream of.

The Digmanns tell us how they navigate different obstacles they encounter as a couple living with MS and share tips on dating after diagnosis. The Digmanns believe you should never give your disease more credit than it deserves and dating with MS is not impossible…we all have issues when it comes to dating.

When Nora Gocking was diagnosed with MS in 2015 she decided to take control and started researching different foods that would help reduce inflammation and her symptoms.

Nora ended a 35-year relationship with some of her closest friends…carbs, breads and sugars.

In 2018 she started her own blog, nottodayms.com in order to share her story and her journey with MS.

Nora tells Marie how her relationship with food changed when she was diagnosed with MS in 2015 and the bond that grew between her and her husband through diagnosis.