“You have multiple sclerosis and there is no cure.” Terror hit Carrie square in the face. How in the world did this happen? Carrie, 31, was a new mom, a wife, an active musician—MS didn’t fit into her world. She couldn’t help but think it had to be a mistake. Several tests later, Carrie realized it was no mistake. “I had an eleven-month-old baby girl who needed me,” Carrie said, “and I couldn’t take care of her. This event started a series of tragedies in my life. I entered a very, very dark place.”
Carrie saw an advertisement for an MS educational program. Her mother was convinced that somehow Carrie’s MS journey was going to help others and she encouraged Carrie to attend. “I didn’t want to attend a meeting about MS,” Carrie said. “I wanted to forget about it. But Mom would not relent, so I agreed to go. I went and it changed everything.” Carrie saw that there were people living a full life despite MS—and learned about the ambassador program Snow had created.
That started a “13-year journey of brightness” in Carrie’s world. When she spoke with Brenda, Carrie realized there was a whole new side of her own story that she had yet to explore. Carrie finally saw a light at the end of that dark tunnel. Being a Patient Ambassador allowed Carrie to share her story with other people instead of looking inward and focusing on herself. Carrie started asking herself, what can I do to help others who may also find themselves in a dark place?
When Carrie looks back over the last 19 years since her initial diagnosis, she’s amazed at all the challenges she and her family have faced and overcome. She and her husband have been married for more than 27 years—and the baby Carrie worried she couldn’t take care of is now in college. Carrie said she “feels very blessed and thankful.”