MS Gallery − Tarja
“Sometimes the disease tries to take control, but I am the boss. It is, and will be, a part of me, but I see my future as I would surely have seen it without MS.”
Tarja
Age: 45
Hometown: Pirkkala, Finland
Onset of symptoms: 1991
First symptoms experienced: Numbness, tingling, stiffness and loss of sensation
Diagnosed: 1993
Started treatment: 1997
As a part-time nursery school teacher and mother of two teenage girls, Tarja needs plenty of energy. So when she felt numbness in her legs, tingling, stiffness and a loss of sensation, she was scared how this might affect her life.
It took two years for doctors to finally diagnose her with MS. “I felt like it was the end of the world. Then I started to deny the whole thing and didn’t want to talk to anyone. It became a kind of taboo, and I even told my partner that he must not mention it to anyone.”
During this time, there were no treatments for early symptoms of MS available in Finland, so Tarja spoke to other MS sufferers and learned how to cope with the disease. Four years later, Tarja began treatment.
Now, Tarja lives an active and enjoyable life, and is not scared to discuss her disease with family and friends, who have all been supportive. “Sometimes the disease tries to take control, but I am the boss. It is, and will be, a part of me, but I see my future as I would surely have seen it without MS.” Recently, she even began playing the accordion again – something she first started 20 years ago.
“It is important to find out as much information as possible to get rid of your worst fears. You should not allow MS to take over.”
