Belmont’s Chris marks MS Week despite the odds

Andrew Mathieson
SHE would jog every morning but it was while resting during an idyllic holiday that then-42-year-old Chris Nolan became aware pounding pavement would never be the same.
Chris had noticed just the last telltale sign of multiple sclerosis.
“I remember that the family went to Sri Lanka for a holiday and it was between when I saw the entomologist and I had an MRI scan,” Chris said.
“I remember saying one day there that I could not feel my feet, which was quite odd, I thought.”
The Belmont resident did everything to keep fit but, despite doctors’ optimism, the degenerative disease slowly took over her body.
First came the numbness and tingling – a common symptom, she now realises.
Then came slight imbalance first thing in the morning, which further compounded her fears.
Finally, Chris was hit with double vision despite a glowing eyesight report from an optometrist.
“It’s like many diseases – you look back at the big picture and the jigsaw fits together,” Chris said.
Now 50, she has restricted her working life to part-time but is set to cut her hours further.
The disease has taken hold of her life without reprieve.
“It’s a very slow and, I would have to say, I’m not as well as I was when I was diagnosed,” she said.
“Fatigue is my enemy and can vary from day to day.”
Most sufferers are diagnosed around 30 years of age, so, on reflection, Chris believed she had mostly beaten the odds.
Now a Geelong “ambassador” for MS, Chris keeps a realistic perspective on the disease and its impact on other sufferers.
“I don’t know you can ever say it’s easy to cope with the affects of MS,” she said, “you just become very grateful for what life has given you and you value things that other people would not value.”
National MS Week began on Monday and finishes Sunday.