‘I knew very little about MS before experiencing it’

Emma Valentine, a proud Ballincollig woman living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2011, has been chosen as one of the faces of MS Ireland’s World MS Day campaign.

MS Ireland commemorated World MS Day with an exhibition of portraits that includes 8 members of the MS community as part of the organisation’s schedule of events marking International MS awareness week.

The exhibition aims to shed light on and challenge stereotypes about what people with MS are capable of.

Multiple Sclerosis is different for each person impacted by it. Each individual experiences unique symptoms, varying in severity and duration.

The exhibition showcases a range of experiences in the hope that people will better understand that MS is an individual condition.

Emma was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in September 2011, not long after going to the doctor with a collection of “weird and wonderful symptoms I could no longer explain away,” she said.

She continued: “I am 36 and live in Ballincollig, with my husband Matt and our daughter Rowan. I spent 2 years as a stay at home parent after leaving my job in corporate America and now I work as a ‘rúnaí scoile’ (school secretary) at the Gaelscoil my daughter attends.

“I knew very little about MS before experiencing it myself, but looking back, I had symptoms for a long time. Since diagnosis, I have been relatively lucky, symptom-wise, my MS rarely impacts my ability to live my ordinary, normal, chaotic life.”

Ava Battles, Chief Executive of MS Ireland commented: “There is no singular experience of MS, the journey is unique to each individual. Our community has seen huge developments in terms of treatments and therapies over the past three decades but we still have hurdles to overcome. This World MS Day we want to challenge misconceptions around MS and redefine the “face of MS” in public perception by shining a spotlight on the full and varied lives of those who live with it.”