Plymouth mum speaks of MS diagnosis at age 28
Sharnie Gardner was diagnosed with it during lockdown, earlier this year
Last updated 14th Dec 2020
"I worry about what the future's going to hold"
That is from a Plymouth mum who has revealed the impact of multiple sclerosis.
One in five people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the UK is now under the age of 30.
Sharnie Gardner, 28, was diagnosed with relapsing MS during lockdown this year. She lives with symptoms like bladder and mobility problems, weakness, and numbness.
Sharnie says:
"When they told me it was MS I thought they must have had it wrong. I thought maybe it was a trapped nerve - not something that big. One of the first things I said was isn't it just for older people? I'm still not used to it really to be honest, it's taking time to get my head round it. I've been in and out of hospital for eight years and they never thought to check for MS.
"We moved down to Plymouth so I could surf more - but my last relapse left me with weakness in my leg, and I get a lot of pain in my hips so I can't be as active. I'm having weekly physio at the moment to strengthen it back up, but I don't know how long that will take. Now we go for a lot of walks on the beach instead.
"One of the times MS got to me the most was when my leg gave way while I was in Tesco. I'd only been out of hospital a few weeks and I had a man accusing me of being drunk. I had my two kids there with me at the time, and I remember getting really upset about it. When I go shopping now I wear the lanyard just in case it happens again."
According to the MS Society, MS is the most common progressive neurological condition in young people today.
There are 130,000 people living with MS in the UK and, in the last year alone, more than 1,250 people under 30 have been diagnosed.
Sharnie is one of 30 under 30s appearing in a new story and photo series from the MS Society, as part of the charity's Stop MS Appeal.
Sharnie continues:
"MS has affected my mental health and I'm having therapy for it. I'm a lot more anxious now, worrying about what the future's going to hold for me. You don't know what's going to happen, and I've been getting really upset really easily.
"The first thing I did when they told me I had MS was google is there a cure - and seeing that they are trying to find more treatments for when it gets to the later stages has really helped me and how I feel about the future. If I was told it was progressive MS and there was nothing to help it would be really daunting. At the moment I've got hope. And with the way it's going in terms of research - you have that to look forward to. Research is what's kept me going."
Tens of thousands of people with progressive forms of MS still have no treatment to help them as their condition advances.
Dr Emma Gray, Assistant Director of Research at the MS Society, said:
"Today, most people will first experience MS symptoms in their 20s and 30s, when they're working on their career, or perhaps thinking about starting a family. The condition is unpredictable and different for everyone, and that can make it hard to plan for the future.
"There are now over a dozen licensed treatments for people with the relapsing form of MS, and some emerging for early active progressive MS - but there is nothing to stop you becoming more disabled as your condition advances. Thankfully, we have never been closer to stopping MS, and with the discoveries being made right now, we believe treatments that slow or stop disability progression are a very real prospect."