Category: MS-Cellaneous

This post is long overdue. I know y’all are tired of my little black ass and all my excuses. I don’t even have one this time. I quit with the excuses. I’m the problem 😫. We all know the first step is admitting you have a problem. So hopefully I can move on from here. Fingers crossed.

Recently, I was in Cleveland by way of Toledo to celebrate my friend Selena’s 45th birthday.

Of course, the rest of the crew was there. Aren’t we cute 😍.

Then came back to Toledo Sunday morning in time to make the MS Walk and surprise my soul sister Bea Tea. Bea Tea does the walk every year in support of me and my cousin Denise. I am so thankful and grateful for her. Listen, when I tell y’all I was tired as hell at work on the Monday and every other day that week once I returned. I’m too old for the burn and turn and staying up way past my normal bedtime. I think I have officially recovered 😆.

This MS walk was exactly what I needed. My team was small, but I was touched by everyone who attended. Honorable mention: my friend Melinda couldn’t make it to the walk, but she stopped by after the walk.

And y’all know I had to crochet an MS blanket for the walk in my hometown. Once I realized I would be in town the same weekend as the walk, I got busy. I worked hard on this one! I knew I wanted to give it to this beautiful woman, Joy Norwood, and she is tall so I made it bigger than normal size.

Look at the little heart 💜.

I made my first MS blanket to give to an MS warrior in 2017. I wasn’t sure of the process I would use to choose the person to give the blanket to. I just wanted God to lead me to that person. God led me to Tina Santiago. I reunited with Tina and her team and we took an updated picture.

Tina also gave me a few more crosses that her dad, who is 100 years old, carved out of wood. He has officially retired from making crosses, but he has made 32,700. I am so honored to be a recipient of 1 out of 32,700.

All in all, one of the best MS walks hands down. I’m excited about next year’s walk. I will get organized and have a team and t-shirts. I even have someone in mind to give a blanket to.

After my last post a thousand years ago, I have had so many people pour into me. My friend Sherry sent me a response text and I have thought about what she wrote a lot. My friend Gerard stays blowing my head up with his encouraging words 😄. My best friends have supported me and reminded me that my voice is important and needed. Honestly, it has been making me emotional and I don’t do that. Okay, maybe just a little. I can’t tell you all how much it means to me. And that is why I do not have anymore excuses.

I can’t say how often I will post, but I know it will be more regularly. I can’t say what I will talk about. It may be a pity party or something inspirational. I just know I can’t stay silent any longer. I have something to say,…well a lot of things actually. Stay well and whole. Much Love 🧡💚

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Toledo Chapter will be holding their annual MS Walk on Sunday, May 21st at 10 am at the Huntington Center. My soul sister, Bea Tea, has created a team in support of little old me. If you would like to join her team and participate in the MS Walk, you can sign up at this link,

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1491

The team name is Ebony’s Avengers (Marvel nerd).

If you would like to make a donation towards Bea Tea’s $500 fundraising goal, here is the link:

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/participant/Bea-Tea

I would love to receive pictures from anyone who attends the walk. Please email any pictures to my email address, elsims27@yahoo.com. I will post any pictures shared on this blog.

Thank you all for your continued support, prayers, love and words of encouragement. I am humbled and grateful. Be well and whole. Much love 🧡💚

Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams, a board certified neurologist and multiple sclerosis specialist, is the doctor MS patients would love to see. Dr. Williams’ passion is to educate and empower individuals living with multiple sclerosis to understand their disease and their treatment options. As a black woman, Dr. Williams gained expertise in understanding how multiple sclerosis affects the underserved and minority communities. She is an advocate for MS warriors as well as an author. Her book, MS Made Simple: The Simple Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis, gives individuals newly diagnosed an understanding of multiple sclerosis and the journey it may take them on. It also highlights multiple sclerosis in black people and the importance of research participation. I have not read the book yet, but I think I will check it out. I chose Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams because she allowed me to cover all 3 of my month’s highlights. She is a black woman (Black Fact and Women’s History) and she is a resource for people living with multiple sclerosis. Dr. Williams is the founder and CEO of The Joi Life Wellness Group Multiple Sclerosis Center. Her office is located in Smyrna, GA. You can find more information on Dr. Williams and her MS Center at this link, https://joilifewellness.com/.

It is great that we have doctors like Mitzi Joi Williams and Dr. Boyd Koffman (my doctor) to advocate for multiple sclerosis warriors, but unfortunately that is not always the case. There are doctors whose focus is not on patient care and treatment. This is when individuals need to implement Multiple Sclerosis Fact #3.

Multiple Sclerosis Fact #3

Be your own advocate!

I cannot stress this fact enough. You know your body best. You know when you are experiencing a new symptom. You know when you have went past sad to depressed. You know when you are having a good MS day and can do more and when it is a bad day and you need to chill. you also know when it is time to see a doctor. At these doctor’s appointments, it is imperative for you to tell them how you are truly feeling and if there is any new issues or a previous one that has gotten worse. Speak your truth. Be your own advocate! Hopefully, your doctor or neurologist will listen and find the best treatment option for you. If you notice your care provider does not have your best interest at heart, it is okay to fire them. They technically work for you. You and your insurance company are paying them to provide a service. Keep looking until you find the care provider that is right for you.

There will also be times where you need to be your own advocate with your insurance company. In a quest to find the right medication, you may need to try out a couple. Unfortunately, insurance companies aren’t always willing to cover certain medications. Call that number on the back of your insurance card and ask what steps can be taken to get the medication covered. It never hurts to try. It can be something simple or you may have to jump through a couple of hoops, the goal is to get the results you want and need. Be your own advocate!

Thank you for joining me this MS Awareness Week for my oddly numbered facts. I have enjoyed sharing these nuggets of information with you all. Multiple Sclerosis and women still have the rest of the month so I will continue to provide resources and highlight women in history. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this post or any other posts, please share this content with them. Be well and whole. Much Love 🧡 💚