Hanover woman shines light on ‘invisible disease’ during Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As March marks Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness month, a Hanover woman is sharing her personal journey to shine a light on the disease while raising awareness and support for the more than one million Americans living with it. 

MS is an autoimmune disorder in your central nervous system that affects your spine and your brain. The disease affects many people differently.

Diagnosed in 2014, Mary Liegey said it’s often called an “invisible illness” with daily challenges many people don’t see.

“When you're raising children, you don’t focus on your own health, you focus on raising your children,” Liegey said. “I probably had signs and symptoms five, ten years before, but I would just put them off. I got numbness under my toes. I started having ‘zaps’ in my head. That’s where I would say my first initial symptoms and then I lost my ability to walk.”

The Hanover woman said her ability to perform everyday tasks were affected -- mentally and physically.

“Cooking is probably one of the things that I miss,” Liegey said. “I must have a recipe and go step by step, where it used to be I just knew how to whip everything together.”

Liegey also said for safety reasons, she can’t pick her grandchildren up and can’t walk properly without assistance from a cane or someone’s help. 

“I couldn't drive for a year, which, at the time I did, I was learning how my body's working,” Liegey said.

While the journey has its challenges Leigey said asking for help and finding a community with others who understand her disease gave her comfort.

“My best friend in the whole wide world has MS, hers looks different than mine, but she understands,” Liegey said. “There’s joy in everything. You just have to look for it. Even with everything that I go through, I try to find the good, and it and it's there.” 

She said those without the disease can learn as well. 

“Really be in tune with your employees; people go through stuff that we don't see,” Liegey said.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is having an awareness walk on May 2nd at the Richmond Raceway.