The Best is Yet to Come

Oh, I bet the eyebrows are raising, and the comments a blazing! The best is yet to come, I can’t even get through today, let alone tomorrow. Yes, I hear you, and yep, we face a lot of challenges.

The question we need to ask ourselves is how we handle those challenges and prepare for the future.

How do you reinvent yourself you ask?

MS certainly interrupts our lives and reshapes what we had planned for. Some take a step back, revisit life, and reshape the future. Others struggle and take longer to figure out what’s next. If you take a step back, look around, you just might find a few great examples of those with MS reinventing themselves and mastering new careers.

From the kitchen to MS advocacy

Imagine you are a well-known Chef, culinary instructor for several Universities, and rising to the top. Out of the blue MS, sideswipes you and turns everything upside down. Where do you go and what do you do now?

Ask that question to Trevis Gleason, whom I’m sure most, if not all of you know. Trevis was a well know Chef in Seattle, Washington, and a Culinary Instructor at Cornell University, New England Culinary University, and California Culinary Academy.

Life after an MS diagnosis: In 2001 Trevis experienced a stroke-like episode and was diagnosed with MS. After several years he realized being a Chef might not be physically possible in the long run. He decided it was time for him to live his dream.

In 2005 he began hosting HealthTalk an MS Webcast and created his Facebook site Trevis L Gleason Life with MS in 2006 and now writes a column for EverydayHealth. Trevis wrote his first book “Chef Interrupted, Discovering Life’s Second Course in Ireland with Multiple Sclerosis” published in the US in 2014 and Europe in 2016.

As you can see it is possible to live life to its fullest with MS. It all depends on how you view and shape the future. I encourage you to take a look at Trevis' Facebook site. Personally, his insight and advice have been a guiding light for me.

Experiencing a new kind of growth

Imagine being a part of a family business and traveling the world growing the export side and enjoying life. While traveling in Central America you begin to feel as though the right side of your body isn’t working properly. What to do now? Let’s look at how Stuart Schlossman reshaped his future.

Life after an MS diagnosis:Upon returning to the US and seeing your primary doctor the advice is to take time off and rest. Not wanting to wait you visit your local Neurologist who ordered an MRI, surprise you have MS.

After taking some time to think about the future, Stuart contacted the MS Foundation and requested a referral to an MS Neurologist. The recommendation was to begin a DMT to help slow his progression. After trying several DMT’s Stuart took a brief medication break. Then began using a medication that helped him to change and reshape his life.

He created, Stu’s Views and MS News, became an Advocate for a Pharmaceutical Company and an Advocate for the National MS Society as a Chairperson for two of their walk sites. In 2009 Stuart created his nonprofit MS Views and News which provides a host of educational webinars and in-person programs covering various Multiple Sclerosis topics.

Having attended a number of these webinars I highly recommend you sign up. The format and interaction between MS experts, Stuart, and attendees are amazing and educational.

The journey starts by simply believing

You can see, that even after an MS diagnosis, it is very possible to live life and accomplish things that you may not have thought possible. You have read short overviews on how Trevis and Stuart tackled MS head-on. They each changed paths and created a much different, yet successful future than their original plans.

As I say: If you want it, think it, desire it and you can do it! Thank you for taking the time to read my story and until the next time, I wish you the very best in all you desire. Be safe, spread kindness to everyone you meet. Never know, you might have a lasting impact on one’s life.