World MS Day: Jennifer Schuble Shares Her Story
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In 2004, Jennifer Schuble was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27. This can be a world-stopping diagnosis for anyone but for an avid athlete like Schuble, it could have seemed like the end of the world.
But even at the tender age of 27, Schuble was no stranger to catastrophe. She'd sustained a traumatic brain injury during hand to hand combat class at West Point some years earlier. A car accident later crushed her right arm and delivered a second traumatic brain injury.
The girl is hard to keep down, in part because of her competitive nature and a drive to do her best, to be the best. That, along with treatments to control her symptoms, has created a formula for rising above the circumstances.
Before this litany of physical assaults had hit her, Schuble had already scooped up a long list of athletic accomplishments and accolades starting in high school and continuing on until she got MS.
Schuble has relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), the most common form of the disease. RRMS is hard to predict. It may hit someone hard, keeping them helpless and bedridden, or its symptoms may be relatively mild. Then again it may wax and wane, offering no way of knowing whether tomorrow will be a good day or a bad day. If symptoms lift, they may disappear forever or they may crash down before the day is through.
RRMS brings many lives to a halt, leaves others in limbo. Some carry on, with the right combination of treatments, drive and the ability to rest when necessary.
According to Schuble, "Rest plays a key role not only for someone dealing with a chronic condition but endurance athletes also require rest for recovery. I try to get eight hours of sleep every night but that does not always happen with my busy schedule working a full time job along with training for the Paralympic games."
Some with RRMS manage to thrive despite the illness. Schuble has been able to carry on with her life and her dreams, and those things she could no longer vie for she transformed into new dreams. "I manage my MS through my daily injections of Copaxone, working with my doctors, diet, keeping a positive attitude, and my extensive exercise."
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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