Your life changes in one second, with one sentence.

Hey my name is Chris, I live in the middle of no where Tennessee. Where our disease is virtually unknown to most people, including myself until a horrible day 6 years ago.

My girlfriend and I were coming back from one town over from mine where I had to be in court, which is a very, very stressful thing to go through for a normal person. God's good grace got me out of that legal issue that day, but that gift was unbeknownst to me at that time. I was driving our car when suddenly something was terribly wrong I just didn't know what was happening to me. My girlfriend had to take over the driver position.

I told her, mind you I was barely able to speak coherently, to take me to the hospital which was located two counties away. Upon arrival I was just able to get on the gurney before my body locked up, my sight was took, and my speech was untranslatable.

The doctors at Rhea county medical center first thought my then 25 year old behind was having a stroke. Wish I could have that explained to me, but to there astonishment nothing on the CT Scan showed anything occurring. I remember the unbearable amount of pain, and fear I felt just like it was yesterday.

A doctor sent a report to the hospital I was at, diagnosing me with having a complicated migraine, to refer me out patient and send me home. Mind you I cant see, Can't move, can't talk.

I was able to barely tell the ER doc that I was scared please don't send me home, in which he kept me over night, I am still in an ungodly amount of pain and terror. First thing they took me to have an MRI.

It wasn't more than 5 minutes after the scan when the hospitalist enter my room, coldly stated I'm sorry Mr Wright to have to tell you but you have MS. He turned and walked out without further explanation. I was flown by medical helicopter to Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga where I was placed in AICU. Treatment came super fast by this time. I spent almost 2 weeks there.

My neurologist said due to the acute nature of the exacerbation and lack of medical assistance a lot of irreversible damage had occurred. I became so horribly depressed and played down to give up. It took me 3 years to get out of a wheelchair, close to 2 on a walker, and about the same on a cane. I did that for myself, by myself. The girl and I mean exactly that ran from the challenge that I had become after me after almost 5 years being together. I have been through immortal h*ll that would make your eyes clur, but I think that was God preparing me for this. Without him I know I would have died, either by this or my own hands.

I am now 33, its been 2 years since my last hospitalization and I will not give in to this disease, it will not rule me. I have to much life to live. I have meant an amazing woman named Claire who loves me, and I know I will never feel that scared alone feeling ever again.

ClW