Teva CFS Book English

58 M aja Engelhard was training for the Tavor Race when she suddenly encountered MS. “I felt like my hand kept wanting to go to sleep, and I ignored it. When I eventually made it to the orthopedist, his diagnosis was an infection and he prescribed pills, but the symptoms got worse and half my body became paralyzed. “When I was hospitalized, the most optimistic thing I was told was that I look relatively good compared to my MRI ...”. Maja tells the story of her life and her Multiple Sclerosis in a brave and sober manner, peppered with endless humoristic anecdotes. “Just” sclerosis... Maja, 44 years old, is a police officer, wife and a mother of two (13, 9), lives a full and rich life, brimming with experiences that are only a dream for most of us. Her story is inspirational. “I was lucky” she says “I got the diagnosis relatively quickly - for 6 weeks there was talk of cancer with six months to live, but eventually it turned out to “just be MS”. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the myelin that insulates the nerve fibers, and the damage to these fibers results in shorts that upset the function of the nerve cells in the brain (see breakdown on the next page). “I thought my life was over” says Maja, “The picture I got from all the information sources was very bleak. To be sick with MS means that tomorrow you might wake up paralyzed, without a memory, and without the ability to function”. Iron Woman started running again. Even before going to hospital, Maja was on the fence about signing up for the Cross Israel Race. “After thinking about it, I decided that I would sign up no matter what, and in the worst case scenario I would do it in a wheelchair. This is the attitude that has guided me since that day”. The decision to run in the race at all costs, changed her life. “Since the day I got my diagnosis, I have stood on the podium three times in 10 km races, I’ve run 3 marathons and participated in an Iron Man race in Denmark (3.8 km swim, 180 km cycle, and 42.2 km run). I keep trying to leave the MS at home, but it won’t cooperate...”. According to her, there’s always a reason to put things off. No money, no time, the kids are too small... But Maja realized that you have to do what you dream of today, because you don’t know what the future holds. “On my 40th birthday my husband gave me a present - a climbing trek on Mt. Kilimanjaro (5890 m tall), I traveled in China, I rode a bike from Ramat Hasharon to Eilat, and I keep moving forward “ Too tired to take another step Coping with Multiple Sclerosis is a daily battle. Even Maja, who proves on a daily basis that the spirit can conquer the body, has to cope with difficult symptoms: “My right arm is weak, my leg shakes when I’m nervous or excited, I get extremely tired to the point where I’m simply too tired to take another step or lift a glass of water. Concentrating is also exhausting, when it’s really hot I can’t leave the house, never mind train, I can’t go to the supermarket because the overstimulation there exhausts me, and when I want to go out in the evening with friends, I have to plan my entire week around it. If I’m not self-aware all the time and cross the line, I pay the price”. Copaxone - “the drug that enables me not to talk about it” Better lives for our patients Maja Engelhard was 38 years old when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and thought that her life was over. Since then, for 6 years, she has managed to run three marathons, participate in an Iron Man race, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, all while raising two children and a career. She does it all with Copaxone, the drug that lets her get on with her life, exactly like she wants. *