Feeling dizzy or losing your balance,
Problems with vision,
Numbness, tingling, or pain,
Muscle weakness or tremors,
Difficulty talking, trouble walking,
Bladder issues,
Depression,
Feeling tired or fatigued, finding it hard to focus or remember things.
Welcome to the world of Kayla.
My hero.
She braces herself at the starting line,
Focused with a bead of sweat clinging to her forehead.
As the gun goes  off she springs forward.
In this moment no one realizes that she is going
To battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Starting with her toes, numbness climbs up her
ankles and eventually reaches her waist.
Yet she runs, never giving up, fighting this
ugly beast with her sword--Running.
As the battle comes down to the final mile it appears the beast is
Winning.  The numbness seizes Kayla to the ground.
Clinging to her coach, Kayla begs for help.
The battle is not over.
Numbness neglects her feelings
As it attacks every nerve that it can grasp.
Collapsing , Kayla gets covered in ice.
It burns and buries the beast in pain. Poison.
Much like garlic to a vampire.
The vampire won’t die;
It just goes away for the day.
The persistent paralyzer will return;
but Kayla is raring and ready.
Brave and self motivated,
Kayla wakes up every day to go to battle.
She doesn’t fear the beast when she runs.
She will crush the crippling monster
That will forever haunt her life.
Running is a battle that Kayla is willing to face.
She has no control however,
She trusts that she can fight this.
Bravery is the ultimate killer of this disease.
This beast will not stop, but neither will Kayla.