![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490850-de5a-e1782902410752.jpg\")
\n\t\tI was 27 years old when I was diagnosed with MS (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tI was 27 years old when I was diagnosed with MS (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n
\u2018We\u2019ve found lesions on your brain and spine.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held my breath to stop the tears from trickling down my face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t quite grasp what the consultant was saying in that moment, until she confirmed that those lesions were, in fact, Multiple Sclerosis (MS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n I was officially diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis in August 2025: A form of MS where I have regular \u2018relapses\u2019 (my symptoms get worse), followed by periods of recovery (\u2018remitting\u2019).<\/p>\n I was 27 years old.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n Part of me was relieved to have an answer, but part of me was terrified \u2013 especially because I\u2019d grown up watching my mum suffer\u00a0<\/strong>with MS.<\/p>\n The MS Society says that having a parent with MS gives you just a 1.5% chance of developing the disease yourself. But despite the low risk, I got my diagnosis<\/a> at almost the exact same age my mum got hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n My mum was diagnosed in 1999. She suffered from severe relapses sometimes lasting\u00a0as long as two weeks, where she would lose her speech and mobility, experience a constant pins and needles<\/a> sensation in her body and struggle with dramatic memory loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once, when I was around eight, I finished school<\/a> and walked\u00a0out onto the playground\u00a0to see my neighbour waiting to pick me up.<\/p>\n My mum had suffered a relapse where she had lost function in both her legs. She\u2019d collapsed at home, dragged herself across the landing and somehow called for help.<\/p>\n \t\t My\u00a0siblings<\/a>\u00a0and I would often wake up to my mum unable to lift herself out of bed. She would fall over and lose her balance, drop things and struggle to think clearly. At one point, she had to use a walking stick, and I grew used to seeing her exhausted from even the smallest of tasks.<\/p>\n Eventually, she had to give up work. As a family of five with one stream of income, times were tough. My dad worked as much overtime as physically possible, while my mum looked after us.<\/p>\n Back then,\u00a0Mum\u00a0was put on a series of high-dose steroids to treat her MS via an IV drip in hospital, used whenever she had an active attack (relapse).<\/p>\n \t\t Now, my mum has been in remission \u2013\u00a0meaning she\u2019s been in a stable state of recovery with no new symptoms \u2013\u00a0for nine years. There was no miracle medication that helped her; she\u2019s simply learnt to manage the disease. She takes it day by day, and is mindful not to push herself so much that it could risk another relapse.\u00a0<\/p>\n I,\u00a0meanwhile, experienced what I now know to be my first relapse about a year prior to my diagnosis.<\/p>\n I woke up one morning with a tingling sensation down the back of my neck and across my shoulder. It was uncomfortable, but I could tolerate it. I\u00a0assumed\u00a0I had pulled a muscle and left it alone to repair.\u00a0<\/strong>It lasted for about a week;\u00a0after which point, I\u00a0forgot about it.<\/p>\n \t\t Months later, I returned from a work trip to an overwhelming numbing sensation down the whole of my left side. In the\u00a0following\u00a0days, my skin felt like it was burning every time I showered and I lost strength in my arms.<\/p>\n The fatigue was overwhelming. I had brain fog<\/a>,\u00a0<\/strong>painful headaches<\/a> and stints of heaviness, feeling like I couldn\u2019t move.\u00a0<\/p>\n I convinced myself I had damaged a nerve. The idea that I could have MS didn\u2019t cross my mind whatsoever.<\/p>\n But, after a week, my fianc\u00e9 persuaded me to take a trip to the GP, who examined my reflexes and muscle strength before referring me to a physio,\u00a0who gave me daily\u00a0exercises to practise.<\/p>\n Naturally,\u00a0the\u00a0GP asked if there was a\u00a0family\u00a0history of any health conditions. I\u00a0told him\u00a0my mum had MS, but he didn\u2019t seem too concerned,\u00a0just writing\u00a0it in his notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t I returned two weeks later as requested \u2013 by which point, the sensation had worn off and I generally felt a lot better. I could see something didn\u2019t sit right with my GP, though.\u00a0<\/strong>There was something off about his energy. He referred me for an MRI of my brain and spine for the next month.\u00a0I assumed\u00a0he was just\u00a0being cautious.<\/p>\n Going into the MRI, the nurse told me\u00a0the results\u00a0would take up to six weeks. But the next day, I received a text asking me to arrange a telephone appointment with my GP \u2013 who told me there was \u2018an anomaly in my brain\u2019, and that the next steps involved meeting with a specialist.\u00a0<\/p>\n I started to spiral. What did he mean by an \u2018anomaly\u2019? Was there something seriously wrong with me?<\/p>\n Two weeks later, I received my confirmed diagnosis.<\/p>\n The consultant explained that MS\u00a0is\u00a0an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system; that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a variable, unpredictable and progressive condition,\u00a0requiring\u00a0daily management.<\/p>\n \t\t The moment I told my mum is etched into my brain. In a McDonald\u2019s<\/a> car park, I dialled her number and told her what I think she knew deep down.<\/p>\n She broke down and blamed herself for what was happening to me, and we wept down the phone to each other. It was incredibly painful to hear the strongest woman I know speak that way about something that was completely beyond her control.<\/p>\n Since that tearful phone call, I\u2019ve learnt that she was picturing the challenging journey ahead for me \u2013 praying that I wouldn\u2019t have to go through what she once had.\u00a0<\/p>\n I officially began treatment five months after\u00a0first going\u00a0to my GP.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0come a long way since my mum was diagnosed. I opted for Ofatumumab \u2013\u00a0a disease modifying therapy in the form of a monthly injection you administer yourself at home \u2013 and it\u2019s working.<\/p>\n So far, my MS has stabilised. I haven\u2019t had a relapse\u00a0or any new symptoms\u00a0since starting treatment and I\u2019m mostly able to go about my life as normal.<\/p>\n Of course, some days are better than others.\u00a0<\/strong>There are times where I find it hard to string a sentence together; moments where my body feels as heavy as cement, periods of overwhelming tiredness and instances of complete numbness.<\/p>\n Getting diagnosed with the same condition as my mum has been both a curse and a blessing.<\/p>\n It\u2019s made her overly cautious at times, concerned about me making too many plans and over-exerting myself.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t blame her for feeling as though history is repeating itself, though. Even so, she\u2019s been by my side every step of the way.<\/p>\n Ultimately, my mum is a role model to me \u2013 and a living example that life doesn\u2019t have to stop at a few lesions.<\/p>\n Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490849-47c8.jpg\")
\n\t\tMaz\u2019s mum was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and suffered from severe relapses (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490854-c265.jpg\")
\n\t\tAs a child, Maz grew used to seeing her mum exhaused from even the smallest of tasks (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490851-6ee9-e1782902348487.jpg\")
\n\t\tI experienced what I now know to be my first relapse about a year prior to my diagnosis (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490855-90eb-e1782902830488.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe idea that I could have MS didn\u2019t cross my mind whatsoever (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n![\"Maz](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SEI_303490748-c6a0.jpg\")
\n\t\tMy mum is a role model to me (Picture: Maz Gould)<\/p>\n
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\nMORE: The date was perfect \u2013 until I saw his mum<\/a><\/p>\n