Damian Washington is pictured taking pictures a music video. (Pictures courtesy of Damian Washington)
Day 20 of 31
That is Damian Washington’s story:
Having a number of sclerosis (MS) is a horrible method to meet great folks. The kind of camaraderie that some MSers share results in among the most enjoyable and joyful emotions that anybody may ever hope to expertise. The connection shaped from the shared slaying of our personal respective Goliaths makes us adore and gravitate towards the plucky David that lives inside every fellow affected person.
Damian Washington is pictured subsequent to his spouse Angela Washington.
A few of us may need extra mobility points than others and a few extra cognitive challenges, however we’re every up in opposition to the identical seemingly unbeatable, terrifying, and ever-morphing behemoth inside.
We give one another our time and restricted power. We give fellow MSers insights that we’ve discovered alongside the way in which by way of our personal trials and errors, suggestions handed alongside by rock star neurologists, a compassionate ear to take heed to very-real grievances — the checklist of sensible methods wherein we assist one another goes on and on. But, probably the most impactful factor we give one another is, merely, our presence.
Damian Washington is proven in a selfie carrying a hospital robe in preparation for an MRI.
Maybe that presence is especially by way of textual content or social media message exchanges at odd hours of the night time or day, or leaving supportive feedback on posts. Possibly it’s making preparations to journey to one another’s cities for in-person meet-ups, or connecting different sufferers to alternatives with pharmaceutical corporations and companies that want affected person perception.
No matter kind the connection takes, that bond is ever-present and deeply real. Generally, the connection isn’t as current and our outreach may go unanswered. However you by no means really feel dangerous when that occurs as a result of that the opposite particular person is, most probably, within the woods of some miscellaneous hazard of the situation and searching ahead to looping again when she or he emerges.
I usually liken being identified with MS to having a large bag of poop delivered proper to the doorstep. In that very same breath, although, I additionally say that the relationships that develop out of it are lovely flowers of friendship, love, and connection that might not have presumably grown as vibrant with out stated fertilizer as a catalyst.
In recognition of A number of Sclerosis Consciousness Month in March, the MS Neighborhood Highlight marketing campaign incorporates a collection of tales highlighting the real-life experiences of individuals affected by MS, written in their very own phrases. Comply with us on Fb, Instagram, and Pinterest for extra tales like this, utilizing the hashtag #MSSpotlight, or learn the complete collection.