Around 1997, at the age of 40, I started with bouts of double vision. I went to see my GP, who sent me to a neurologist, Dr Read. I was booked into hospital for a lumber punch and brain scans. That was when I was diagnosed with MS. He explained the process to me, but as I have never heard of MS it was just another ailment to me.

At that stage I did not start any medication as there were no further symptoms. I worked for Sanlam and had a husband and two small kids. It was only later that the symptoms reappeared that Dr Read prescribed Betaferon (the daily injection).

After another few years the symptoms got worse. I started slowing down in my walking, typing and everything else. In 2011 Sanlam decided to board me. I could keep my medical aid, which paid for this treatment.

In July 2011 I had a bad fall and needed extensive surgery in my face. I had to rely on a walker since then.
My next MS test showed my EDSS above 5, which meant that this medication would not help me any further, so Dr Read decided to stop the Betaferon injections. Since then the extreme fatigue I experienced almost every afternoon subsided.

In February 2015 I had another very bad fall and had to get a steel plate in my upper leg. Since then I am in a wheelchair.