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"Look how long I was complaining about not being able to wear a heel?!"
When Terri-Louise Brown was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, the answer to “look how long I was complaining about not being able to wear a heel?!” started to make sense, and she immediately saw this as an opportunity to take action. Hanging out with Terri-Louise Brown, Founder of ‘Talks with M.S’, highlighted that even the strongest of people have fears, and that her life in its fullness is just beginning.
Talks with M.S. is a big brother/big sister scheme that stemmed from Terri’s diagnosis and her desire to create awareness and conversation surrounding M.S. It’s a place that Terri aims to allow current MS fighters and herself to reveal the good, bad and indifferent regarding the condition.
When Terri was informed of her diagnosis in March 2016, unlike most patients who are speechless, in shock or confused, “what the hell?!” was Terri’s initial response. Having witnessed her younger brother suffer from the same illness, although some studies show that it is not always hereditary, “having another relapse where I’m off my feet and can’t do anything for myself” is something that makes this fighter feel uneasy.
“Without peace, there is no understanding”
“It’s almost like a bug that lays dormant, and something has to trigger it, so my trigger was the flu”. Conditions like M.S do include a range of side effects and can be activated by anything. When we asked Terri what she thought the challenges M.S fighters experience the most, she confessed “most commonly, having this disability that may affect you in so many different ways internally, but people can’t see it on the outside.”
Talks with M.S started off as a personal documentary, but as Terri began to explore the business and charity side of things, she started to look forward to “reaching out to a few more M.S fighters to have their say, so it’s not so focused on me and the education side of things, but more personal for them”. As well as this, Terri will be organising an educational brunch including motivational speakers and M.S Specialists, “although Talks with M.S is that big brother/big sister scheme to help people with their diagnosis, the other side is to raise awareness and educate people on this stigmatic disease”.
"Most commonly, having this disability that may affect you in so many different ways internally, but people can’t see it on the outside.”
Terri is optimistic about her diagnosis and vows not to let it bring her down, especially as her younger brother has been severely affected by it. She’s positive that “it doesn’t have to end that way, yeah it took me a couple of months to be able to walk stoosh again, but I had to work on it”.
Moving into this new phase in her life, Terri is affirming herself with “without peace, there is no understanding”. The conversation surrounding M.S is one that Terri is passionate about becoming more public and endeavours to allow novices and M.S fighters alike to have the liberty to question, gain counsel and understanding on this often-silent condition.
For more information, please support the Talks with M.S. GoFundMe page here alternatively, email Terri at info@talkswithms.com.
Socialise with her too - Instagram: @ms_t3rri | Twitter: @TalkswithMS
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