When Kyoko woke up one morning with numbness in her left shoulder, she blamed it on a recent motorcycle accident. But over the next five months, her symptoms worsened. Kyoko’s fingers became numb and she had difficulty walking.

After seeing several doctors, she was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). "I thought to myself, ‘how worried should I be?’ I had never heard of MS and began thinking about the unknown I’d need to face."

Some of Kyoko’s teachers at the nursing school where she was studying wanted to help. "They were familiar with the illness and they modified the classes to suit my physical needs. For instance, I was allowed to submit reports in place of attending some of the trainings."

Kyoko eventually decided to stop attending school. "I worried I wouldn’t have the physical strength to be a nurse and that the exertion would trigger relapses." A doctor she was seeing at the time recommended she seek a less physically demanding job.

As her symptoms progressed, Kyoko also gave up some of her favorite activities such as running and jet skiing. "I quit college and began to live like a retired old person. I stopped having fun and going out with friends."

Several years after her diagnosis, Kyoko met a neurosurgeon who told her how important it was to continue living a normal life. "Without meeting the physician, I would be different than I am now. What he said has remained in my mind ever since."

Before starting therapy, Kyoko experienced symptoms one to three times per year. "It was not unusual for me to be hospitalized for two or three weeks each year" because of them. Once Kyoko started treatment every other day, however, she no longer needed to be hospitalized. The frequency of her relapses also dropped to fewer than one per year. "MS is unpredictable, but thanks to my treatment, I no longer feel preoccupied with the disease. It has reduced my anxiety about the future."

Kyoko also is lucky to have the continuing support of her friends and family. In fact, Kyoko’s former classmates sent her a box full of handmade paper cranes to show their support.

"Therapies that prevent symptoms from recurring and delay disease progression are important for people with MS like me. My future is brighter because of the treatment available to me." Until there is a cure for MS, "I will do my very best to live a full and active life."