..My name is Mary. I have Multiple Sclerosis. I am a huge Phillies fan!! My goal is to swim 30 miles. The distance from the pool I swim at to Citizens Bank Park. I hope to “get there” in time for the World Series!!For most of life, I was a competitive swimmer. I won lots of trophies and ribbons. But now I am swimming for something that means so much more to me. I am swimming to help sustain my own health.
The way I got diagnosed is uncommon and ironic. Years of swimming injured my shoulder. I would eventually need shoulder surgery. Before the surgery, my orthopedic doctor did an MRI of my cervical spine. He did this to see if I had a pinched nerve or something else. Instead it was the first step to my diagnosis of MS when the study showed lesions.
A year ago, I experienced what MS really is. I was in horrible pain. Unable to work or take care of myself. Now a year later, I am working, have a new attitude and appreciation for life. Some of this was achieved by my journey to Greece. I went there a few months after my recovery. I found my true spirit in life in the Mediterranean Sea. As I was swimming there, I had an epiphany. I feel alive in the water. And just as swimming led to my MS. My MS has led me back to swimming!