One evening in 2014 as I was walking home from dinner with friends, everything changed. Out of nowhere, my vision suddenly went double. Initially I thought I must just be overly tired, and working too hard. But when I woke up the next day still with double vision, I started to worry. In 2017, following two bouts of double vision, a numb limbs and a period of intense extreme tiredness, I was finally diagnosed with MS. When I first had symptoms, I was so scared about what the future might look like for me, that I was afraid to even read about MS. When I did finally reach for google, I was totally overwhelmed by all the information and seemly endless list of possible symptoms and side effects of various medications. I heard about the MS-UK helpline from my best friend - her mum actually worked there when we were younger - and when I finally plucked up the courage to ring, it was a trusted and kind voice on the other end of the line.

Fast forward to 2019, and life is brilliant :) More than just being "fine", I have found the silver lining of having MS. My journey that began in 2014 taught me to truly value my health and my life like I never had before. I totally transformed my diet (I now eat a plant-based vegan and gluten free diet), discovered mindfulness, and began to embrace exercise. I now run regularly and love how it makes me feel, physically and mentally! I feel fitter and happier than I did before I ever knew about MS, and I think that's down to a greater appreciation of what I can be thankful for today, and less focus on worrying about what the future might bring.

Nick (my fantastic husband) and I were jumping for joy when we heard that we had both got places to run the London Marathon together for MS-UK. Until a couple of weeks ago, 10K was the furthest I'd ever ran ;) For me, it's both a brilliant physical challenge to prove to myself that anything is possible (even with MS) and also an opportunity to give hope to others who are early on their MS journey- not only can you hope that you'll be "fine", you can hope for better than fine! We both feel privileged to raise money for MS-UK. Not only will the money fund their brilliant helpline, but also counselling sessions and a fantastic adapted gym in Colchester, Essex.

Please help us raise as much as possible for MS-UK! Lucy x

If you want to read more about my journey, please take a look at my blog https://recoverbynature.blogspot.com 

MS-UK was established in 1993, and is a national charity dedicated to empowering people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to make the most of today, and live life to the full.MS-UK put people affected by MS at the heart of our work. We provide high quality, professional services to support people living with multiple sclerosis, and we listen to people affected by MS.To find out more about what we do, please visit www.ms-uk.org.