This is my mom (the one whose head is being covered by my giant hand). Her name is Claudia Angel Miranda. She's 56 years old. And she has Multiple Sclerosis.Her middle/maiden name is no accident -- she had to be an angel to put up with the crap that we put her through when we were kids. But aside from possibly being an angel, she is also one of the greatest moms I've ever known. Heck, she's one of the greatest people I've ever known. Her strength, kindness, sensitivity made me the person I am today. I love the heck out of this woman.
My mom started having symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis in her mid-20's. She was diagnosed with MS around her 30th birthday. Multiple Sclerosis is one of the more confusing and misunderstood diseases out there. You need an M.D. just to understand the Wikipedia article about MS. But here are some facts:
There is no cure.
There are no known causes.
It physically and mentally debilitates people.
It affects each person in different ways.
It is painful to cope with MS.
It is painful to watch someone you love cope with MS.
This is a difficult subject for me - I’ve never been comfortable talking about my mother's condition. And it's never been easy for me to ask for help. However, I've realized over the years that my silence is not helping and that it’s extremely important for me to begin talking about MS in order to make more people aware of the disease.
Last year, with the help of friends, family and co-workers, I raised $3000 (ranking in the top 100 for the Wisconsin Chapter of the MS Society).
Thank you to everyone who donated last year.
This year, Megan and I are hoping to raise $5000. Yes, I realize that's quite a bit of dough, but $3000 seemed like a lot last year and we did it!
We don't need large donations. We just need lots of small donations. So donate $1, $5, $10, $25. It all adds up.
OR
Join us for the MS Walk in Madison
Thank you so much for reading.
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