Leah Kuhn

Being diagnosed with MS

Imagine being diagnosed with a life-changing chronic illness just six weeks before finishing a degree you had spent six years working towards.

At a time when I should have been excited to begin my new career, everything was overshadowed by the uncertainty of what my life might now look like.

I went to my GP with a sore eye and slightly blurred vision. Three days later, after a hospital admission, an MRI, what felt like 60 blood tests and a couple of lumbar punctures, multiple sclerosis entered the picture.

That was definitely not on my 2025 bingo card.

But there I was, still needing to finish my final placement while having no idea how to process the news. Somehow, I managed to get up every day, focus on my career goal and finish my degree on time.

This allowed me to apply for the job I had been dreaming of, and I started working full-time in February. However, after only eight weeks, I ended up back in hospital with weakness in my legs and difficulty walking. A new MRI showed two new lesions in my brain and one in my spine.

I attempted to return to work a week later because I refused to let this disease take away the job I had worked so hard to get. However, my recovery was not as quick as I had hoped, and I eventually had to reduce my working hours to give my body the support and time it needed to recover.

Throughout all of this, the MS Society has supported me by connecting me with a specialised MS nurse, occupational therapists and physiotherapists who have helped me understand my condition and supported my recovery.

This is why I am taking part in the MS Readathon. I am one of the people who has been directly supported by this organisation, and without that support, I would still be struggling to understand my condition and navigate this new version of my life.

By donating, you are helping the MS Society continue to support people like me when they need it most.