Our customers talk about how Multiple Sclerosis has affected their lives

As part of the MS Awareness Week, our customers, Linda and Peter, kindly offered to talk about their experiences and how they live with this debilitating condition. 

Multiple sclerosis, often abbreviated to MS, is a neurological condition that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. 'Sclerosis' means scarring or hardening of tiny patches of tissue. 'Multiple' is added because this happens at more than one place in the brain and/or spinal cord. The damage to nerves seems to be due to the immune system mistakenly attacking the nerve coating which is made of a fatty protein called myelin.

As part of the MS Awareness Week, our customers, Linda and Peter, kindly offered to talk about their experiences and how they live with this debilitating condition.

Linda worked for Michelin as a buyers’ assistant in the 1970s and married Peter in 1971. Peter said Linda starting showing symptoms when she was in her 20s and was diagnosed with MS in 1978. Linda continued to work until 1986 when she had to give up work.

Peter enjoys walking the dog and takes great pride in his garden, where he receives some undesirable help from his new puppy, Poppy! Linda and Peter did a lot of travelling in the early days, travelling over England, France and Sweden with their tourer, they unfortunately had to give this up and bought a custom made Chalet with disabled access. Peter also said Linda used to enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles.
 
Peter was Linda’s main carer until 2012 when he decided he needed some support and enlisted the help of Bluebird Care, who have been attending ever since. Peter states “I wouldn’t be able to manage on my own without Bluebird”. Peter says ‘it is a lot easier to manage with the help he receives’ as it enables Linda to get up, manage her personal hygiene and on occasion get dressed when it is a nice day or ready for her weekly hairdressing appointment.