Learning to adapt and never give up

Greenstone resident and proud multiple sclerosis (MS) warrior Courtney Hawkshaw has said nothing her autoimmune disease can throw at her will bring her down.

To date, there is no cure for MS and many patients spend years trying to find the treatments that work for them.

Courtney was diagnosed with MS at the age of 23 when what she thought was mere circulation issues in her legs turned out to be her potentially disabling disease.

“Before my diagnosis, I reached a point where I had no feeling in my legs. It was so bad I would burn my legs because my bathwater was too hot. My legs were always ice cold,” Courtney told the NEWS.

After a trip to the doctor, a load of tests, an MRI scan, lumbar puncture and spinal tap, she was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS and given a course of cortisone and steroids, after which she was placed on her first set of treatments.

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“I was devastated. I was so young and in the beginning I refused to accept that anything was wrong with me. I carried on with my life as I normally did,” Courtney said.

When her MS relapsed, she received her wake-up call and knew she had to make certain lifestyle changes.

“The thing is you still look normal and people will say you look fine, so there can be nothing wrong with you. You don’t look disabled.”

She wants to tell others to not judge.

“Outside I might look normal, but inside my body is fighting itself. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll land up in a wheelchair and won’t be able to do anything for myself.

“I had to accept that my life will change forever and I had to adapt. I wasn’t allowed to do certain things and I had to make self-care a big part of my life.”

Courtney said with the love and support of her family and close friends, she was able to make the changes she needed to.

While she continues to work full-time as a hairdresser, she does take more days off.

“Working takes quite a big toll, but if there’s no solution, why complain.”

Courtney suffers from severe nerve pain and a symptom called MS hugs.

“Once my MS affected my optic nerve and I lost my sight for a while, but it usually affects my legs and torso.

“When the pain starts you need to take a step back and relax. This is when you really need to start listening to your body.”

It was only in recent years that Courtney found a treatment involving infusion that worked for her.

“I haven’t had a relapse in the last two or three years.”

More recently, however, Courtney has moved to an injectable treatment because she has her heart set on starting a family.

“It’s risky, I might relapse after I have a child, but I’m willing to take that risk. I’m stubborn that way, but I want to experience that as well.”

She wants to spread a message of hope to others with MS.

“Life is not over. You need to believe in yourself. Make sure you have a good support structure around you,” she said.

Most importantly, Courtney advises anyone dealing with MS to never give up on themselves.

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