Jessica

I do not want to live smaller as a result of my diagnosis. I have had to adjust. There is no choice in that but to do it. But I am not going to let go of my goals, passions, and vision that I am actualizing.

The bad days are rough but the good days, they shine brighter than the sun.

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Diagnosis: Relapsing Remitting

Jessica was diagnosed when she was 26. She will be 29 in September, 2015. Her first attack of MS came as she was leaving Sacramento to attend San Francisco State University.  She began experiencing double vision. Her eyes were moving without her telling them to and her legs would not move at all. This was the beginning of what she describes as her “new normal”.

Jessica completed her Bachelors Degree in Sociology and is a member of the Association of Black Sociologists. She hopes to continue her research project on the development of diseases among black lesbians. She would also like to enroll in a PhD program at Columbia University however, severe weather fluctuations in conjunction with her MS, she realizes that her body may not be able to handle New York weather.

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I am creating this channel, Diagnosed Not Defeated, in an effort to not only tell my story regarding my diagnosis and reality of living with Multiple Sclerosis but to also create an open dialogue about the realities of living with chronic disease, and creating support, community, and positive systemic changes. Our health is our wealth! If we do not tell our stories, then someone else will. So, it’s time to tell our stories and our truths!