Justine Martin was competing in an all-round weightlifting event when she thought she'd blown a bicep because she couldn’t lift her arm without extreme pain. It took four years to get a proper diagnosis
was blurry vision in 2001. Then, in 2007, when I was competing in an all-round weightlifting event, I thought I’d blown a bicep because I couldn’t lift my arm without extreme pain, but it was MS. I wasn’t diagnosed until 2011, however, when my vision went again.
Karen has a heart of gold. She’s bright, bubbly, dynamic and headstrong. I run a tight ship at home. Everything has to be in its place because of my short-term memory problems. But not Kaz. She’s disorganised. Karen’s eating frustrates me. She can eat whatever she wants and hardly puts on weight. Whereas I sniff food and it’s like, “Hello! It’s on my arse.” Although, not long after we met, we had a weekend away at a MS charity fundraiser, and she’d had a relapse and was on steroids, which gave her the mega munchies. I struggled to zip up her dress for the formal event! But we managed to squeeze her into it.
One benefit of MS is you can’t always feel certain body parts, so tattoos don’t hurt much. I got the “Kiss Goodbye to MS” lips on my wrist, and a dragonfly I’d drawn to go with it. It represents hope. I started art as a hobby after my diagnosis. Now, teaching art wellness classes to people with disabilities has become a business. I’ll get Karen to paint one day.When I first saw Justine, I thought there was only one MS Ambassador position going, so I gave her a bit of an attitude look.
Back then, I didn’t want to know anything about MS, but now I realise I have to be proactive about my health. Justine is very health-conscious. She’s never smoked, whereas I was a dirty smoker for years. And I eat three times as much as her but don’t put on weight.
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