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My name is Corenna DeRuiter. I am a 33 years old and a single mom. My son, Mike will be 15 next month and my daughter, Lisa is now 13. We live in Arizona. I work as a hairdresser with the company Great Clips.

Editor's Note: Heather Anne found our magazine, and although she does not have MS herself, her Mother-in-Law does. She offered to design us a logo for the magazine, and through her willingness to work with some ideas, she has done just that. Welcome to the family, Heather Anne!

My name is Elsa or as my nickname goes, Mummsy. I've been diagnosed some 21 yrs. ago. Seems like I have never lived without MS. I've never let it get the best of me, mentally. I've always felt that keeping an active mind has been most of the battle. I use a cane and for long distances I do have a scooter. My feeling for this equipment is that they give me a great feeling of independence. I've never looked on them as giving in to the Monster.

I did a lot of volunteer work with our local MS Chapter for 11 yrs. and it certainly was rewarding for me. I also served on the Board of Trustees for 10 yrs. After some time, I decided to take a break and left for other things.

I've been married for 50 yrs. Have 2 children and 8 grandchildren. I was 45 when I was diagnosed. Gee, that does give my age away! I do enjoy kidding about my age and am still trying to find someone with MS older than I am. ha ha

After raising my kids, I decided that I needed to get back into the work force. I became a secretary and loved it! That did last for 4 yrs. until I was diagnosed. My first symptom was optical neuritis and that caused me to have to quit my job. One eyed secretaries aren't exactly a great asset. I'll say that this computer certainly has helped me renew my skills in typing and meeting such "wonderful" people.

F. Alexander Brejcha came to America from Sweden in 1968 at the age of 10 - and immediately fell in love with science fiction. Frequently published, in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, he also has stories and articles in a variety of genres pending or published in a variety of magazines and newspaper. He presently divides his time between writing, disability advocacy, and working full-time as a night-shift hospital telephone operator/trauma dispatcher (where a wheelchair doesn't slow him down). Visit his comprehensive and multiple award-winning Web site at

to find a wide range of disability resources and reprints of some of his work. Add /biblio.htm for a bibliography with links to some re-prints and add /menu.htm for a menu which includes links to some original work. More recently he has been blessed with marriage to a wonderful woman (fellow M.S.er and advocate) from Moscow, Russia, whom he met through is web site when she contacted him to help another M.S.er – in Brazil (after she found his web site on a British M.S. site).

My Name is Betty and I happen to have MS. I don't like it but that's beside the point. I live with it in spite of my desires. I have lived with the sneaky snake for over thirty-seven years and it is the chronic progressive type. It has caused me to become a deeper, better person, I like to think, in spite of the things it has kept me from being or doing. My three- wheel motorized scooter keeps me independent and on the go.

I have been married to my husband Bill for forty-six years. He is the other half of me that makes me whole. We have four grown children and ten grandchildren; we live in Mt Vernon, Illinois, as do two of our children and five of our grandchildren. For a time we lived in Glendale AZ. where our other two children and five grandchildren live.

Without God in my life to sustain me, MS would defeat me. My faith allows me to be more than I am, do more than I can and excelled me to heights that I other wise would never have attained.

I have a pooch named Missy who is my consent companion. We rescued her from the pound and she continues to pay me back with her companionship and love.

I am a freelance writer, author of the books, “It Takes Two Mountains to Make a Valley” and “But It Was in the Valleys I Grew.” I am also a newspaper columnist, publishing, Betty’s Points to Ponder. I have stories in Chicken Soup, Alice Gray’s Books, also in magazines. Poetry books, newsletters, newspapers, and a variety of other mediums including the Internet. I have been given honors of:: Writer of the Month, on 2theheart.com, ‘Gem’ on heartwarmers.com and Starfish Treasure, on ripplemaker.com .

Everyone has handicaps of one form or another. I believe it is how you live your life in spite of the hardships that measures your worth, while here on earth. If we concentrated more on what we could give, instead of what we can get, life would hold for us many more undiscovered treasures. It is in our giving that we receive. In Life it takes two mountains to make a valley, but it is in the valleys where most of the wisdom is distributed and received. Why then do we try to avoid them?

Hello! My name is Rosa (Blue, to my internet friends) and I live in Anaheim, California, with my mom and dad. My God, my family and my friends are my most valuable treasures.

I was diagnosed with MS in January of 1998. I used to work at a hospital, therefore was aware of what MS was – or so I thought – for in the last three years I have learned by experience what it really is: a tedious disease that bring changes to one’s life from day to day.

I believe that my faith has been the most powerful tool in dealing with this condition, but I have to admit that at the time that I came searching for a chat room, I felt very depressed – hence the nickname "Blue". God has used the Internet to introduce me to some wonderful people: my MSer friends, who have been a great source of support and encouragement. I know that we do not have all the answers, and that some times the only thing we can do is cry with that friend that is going through a bad day – though our friends might never find out that that is what we were doing sitting in front of a computer as we chatted. It is very painful to me not to be able to explain to one who sees his or her dreams shattered and his or her body deteriorating that God is in control and that He cares about our struggles and our pains.

I don’t know if the day will come when a cure for this disease will be found, but I do know that one day we will receive new and perfect bodies from Him. That day, we will run again, and dance, and jump, and laugh together. We might or might not meet face to face on this earth, but I am sure that when that day comes we will recognize each other, for like we have said so many times "we might not have seen each other’s faces, but we have seen our naked souls." God bless you all.

Tripodd - Yes, the nickname does come from walking with a cane. Warped. If there is one way to describe me, this might be it. I'm 50 years old and will turn 51 before 2001 ends. I have had MS for a little over 10 years. Use a scooter for distance. Worked for the same employer for almost 31 years. I'm thinking about looking for steady employment with some job security, though. I was on Betaseron for about 7 years, and started Copaxone in January. I also started on Novantrone IV in October. Have graduated from Relapsing Remitting sometime during the last few years. Don't remember the graduation ceremony, however. I must have enjoyed it. Don't really like the labels for whatever form of MS we have. I guess that's my form of denial. I know that to be on Novantrone, I'm probably doing worse than I think I am. For everything that I've been through the last ten years, and especially the last three, I think I'm actually doing pretty darned good! I have been married for over 20 years, have 2 grown children, several grandchildren. I live in Austin, Texas.

The picture is of me, my husband Mark, and our kids, Jacob age 7 and Elizabeth age 10. This picture was taken last year in Winthrop WA. It does get a little wild out here in the west. We are not a poster family for the NRA.

Bio - I was born in St Johns, Newfoundland, Canada at a American Air Force base. My parents and my little brother moved cross country in a VW bug to Central Washington, Wapato to be exact. I grew up on a 30 acre fruit ranch and was determined NOT to marry a farmer, so I didn't. My husband of 17 years, Mark, is an electrical engineer who also knows a lot about computers and mechanical stuff. We have been living in Mukilteo Wa for 17 years. We have 2 kids, Elizabeth age 10 and Jacob age 71/2 and a cat, Pepper age 121/2. I am active in my church, Mukilteo Presbyterian Church. I love to sing in the choir, attend a bible study, and lead music for Vacation Bible School. I'm also very involved at my kids school, helping in class and going on field trips. I discovered I had MS May of 2000, but have been showing signs since 1990. I'm working with a Naturopath and on Procarin and LDN and feel pretty good most of the time. As with everyone else, I'm sure, I have my bad days too. I started wiring poems 9 years ago. It is a God-given Spirit inspired gift that I thank God for everyday. Some benefits of having MS, meeting and getting to know people from this magazine, finding a place for my poems, and meeting and getting to know Bill Brayer from the SNo-King MSCS group.

Ron and I have been married for 17 yrs. We live in Ontario, Canada. We do not have any children. We have cats! :-)
Ron was dx'd with MS in May 1997. He started having problems with his eyes in the summer of 1996. He lost vision in his left eye, later he began seeing double. He also had very bad headaches. We thought he would need to get new eyeglasses and that would be it! His doctor sent him to an Opthamologist and he sent him to a Neurologist. Then came all the tests. This went on for months. Finally on May 5, 1997, it was confirmed that it was MS. We were devastated. Ron has been doing very well since. He is still R/R. He is now one of 25 people involved in a research study on Teriflunomide in London, Ontario, Canada at the MS Clinic. There are only 180 people involved in this study throughout Canada.
http://geocities.com/Heartland/Shores/5237/MSersOnlineIntro.html
Email: ronpeg@sympatico.ca

I don't know what to write about myself for your Gallery. I am 39 years old, Married with three children. Two girls aged 14 and 12 and my 7 year old boy. I was diagnosed with RR MS in 1995 with the usual history of attacks before that for many years. I work full time in a management technical position in a specialist aviation company in Australia. The highlight of life with MS is all the wonderful people I have met both online and in person that share this condition. What a network of people we are.

I am Norma Resto from Puerto Rico and I was dxd with MS in 1983. Since then I have found out that this monster has been plaguing me since I was 17, possibly earlier. I am 49yrs old, married 30 yrs to the same guy (oy vey!) and I have three wonderful, if not pesty kids, ages 18-23. I was in a clinical trial for Betaseron and used that for about 8 yrs, since then I have used Avonex and tried Novatrone. I recently decided to go back to Betaseron. The best thing that has happened to me regarding MS is that I now belong to a community of the most wonderful and inspiring persons that I have ever met. The best way to battle this monster is by educating yourself and never being afraid to take what others may term as "a chance" with regards to new treatments. I am so glad that I found MS MuSings and it's many voices. I have always wanted to write and here I could just be me, limp and all lol!! . . . .and if you can add to my bio that I am married to a wonderful husband and great dad, Luis Sanchez aka Louie, Honey, Sweetie or when the mood calls for it LUIS RAFAEL SANCHEZ!!!

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I have had MS for 7 years. They found out when they went to operate thinking it was a tumor in the spinal cord. A spinal tap and 7 MRI's later, it's a given. I have MS. I had to have the spinal tap as I did not have enough scaring on the brain. Now is that not a funny one. So now I am learning all the ups and downs that go with MS. I have been married to a wonderful man, Dale, for 19 years. We come and go as much as we can. To keep me going he has built a step so I can get in our pick up. Every since then he said it's hard to keep me home. It's worse now that I got my own wheel chai, so I can go just about anywhere now. Getting out is so good for the soul.

I love animals. We have a cat and a dog that are very spoiled. Even they understand the bad days as they are right under my feet ( I think trying to trip me) saying mommy we love you. Toy though, the dog, she knows when an episode is kicking in and when not I swear, as she is very watchful on bad days. I know it sounds funny but they know.

Dale and I love to play games. I enjoy having friends over for cards or even just playing with on line friends in the zone.

I spend most my time on the computer. I am always working on a project here. I love email, so anyone feeling they need to chat I am around for sure.