
“If you’re not happy with yourself, you’re not happy.”
Stuart
I was diagnosed when I was 26. I used to play a lot of sport, then I got pins in my eyes, really strong, and I went blind in one eye. I felt like I was drunk, and I knew something wasn't right – really wobbly legs. That's how it first started with me.
Lucy lost the sight in her eyes, same as I did. It was just like watching myself over again.
She had a series of tests then exactly like I did, 6 months later, her sight went in the other eye. We were thinking, “this is just too much alike.” Then we got the diagnosis. I was absolutely devastated, I’m not afraid to admit that. It was really hard for us because obviously I'm a dad, I blame myself. It was a hard time for us.
But we support each other as a family, and we've got really good friends who support us too. We've got the Wood's slogan: that we look at life with the glass half full, rather than half empty, and it’s true. If you're not happy with yourself, you're not happy.
It’s been a slow progression with me. I've seen my symptoms slowly get worse over the years since I was 26, and I'm now a 50-year-old.
It's a lot more noticeable than before. People notice it, I notice it. My walking is getting worse, but there are aids and adaptations, and you can get around things. I want to show people about MS and explain that it (can) run in families. Me and my daughter have MS but we're positive people.
Lucy
I remember when I first had my first relapse. It was my fifth birthday and I was at a Disney princess party dressed up as Cinderella. I tapped my mum on the shoulder and said "I feel really sick, I feel really dizzy." As soon as I'd said that, not even a second later, I collapsed on the floor.
When I was younger I enjoyed it because I met loads of new people, but at the time I don't think I could comprehend what was going on in my head because I was so young.
But I've always said I don't let MS control me, I control MS.
My goal is to pass all of my A-Levels, pass my GCSE maths and to achieve the career that I want to in journalism.
More to uS shows that despite all of the setbacks I’ve had with MS, I have gained so many opportunities from it.
There's so much more you can do with MS if you just put your mind to it.