At 28 years old, Karley Kitchener had just embarked on her new life as a newlywed when life handed her an unexpected curve ball — she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Now 31, Kitchener says she considers herself “incredibly lucky” when it came to her diagnosis, which, unlike many others who struggle for years before getting diagnosed, learned about her own illness a mere 36 hours after first walking through the doors of the emergency department of Barrie's Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
It was after waking up from a minor surgery three years ago with numbness in her upper left thigh that then spread to her left arm — and which never went away — that Kitchener said she knew something was wrong.
She initially brushed the numbness off as being a result of the anaesthetic from her surgery, but as it continued to spread down her leg to the tips of her toes and to her left arm, she decided it was time to go see a doctor.
Kitchener was admitted to RVH, where she underwent multiple tests and consulted with several different doctors, but despite that, the reason for the numbness remained a mystery.
“They didn’t know what was happening to me,” she said. “Then I saw … an internal medicine doctor … and I give all the credit to him. He sent me for additional tests and consulted with a neurologist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. He was able to confirm that he thought I most likely had MS and he was able to get me an emergency consult with that neurologist at St. Mike’s the next day.”
That news that she had MS resulted in feelings of both panic and surprise, she says.
“First of all, something as significant as MS was not on my radar whatsoever,” said Kitchener, adding her immediate thought turned to what would happen to her regular life.
Although she had heard of MS, she says she had very little knowledge of what the illness encompassed.
It’s been three years since her diagnosis, and while Kitchener acknowledges her life has changed in many ways, it has ultimately changed her perspective on life for the better.
“I now take as many opportunities as I can. It’s also made me extremely grateful for my family, friends and things in life I never thought I would be grateful for," she said.
As a result of all the support she has received, Kitchener said she wanted to find a way to “pay it forward” and began volunteering with MS Canada about two years ago by getting involved with the annual fundraising walk in Barrie.
From there, she joined the Barrie and Area Community Hub for MS Canada and became a leadership volunteer. She has also been nominated to become a national MS ambassador.
“I just seize every opportunity I can to help support other individuals with MS as well as (to) advocate for those who also live with MS,” she said. “Although it was a negative time in my life, in regards to getting a diagnosis that no one was expecting, it overall has changed my perspective on life to be extremely positive.”
She hopes through her own efforts — as well as through events such as 2024 MS Walk scheduled for Sunday, May 26 at Barrie’s Heritage Park — that a cure can be found.
“MS Canada wants to one day end MS and I know it’s not going to happen in my lifetime, but if there’s anything that I can do, whether it’s fundraising, educational pieces or getting the knowledge out there (so) that maybe eventually there can be a cure that would be phenomenal," Kitchener said.
If she could offer words of advice to anyone who has recently received an MS diagnosis, she says that although she understands they may feel isolated and alone in the moment, she wants them to know they will find their way out of there and will find a “new normal.”
“Even though your life has changed significantly, it doesn’t mean that it’s changed in a negative way. I don’t let MS control my life. I live my life and it’s an added factor that I have MS,” Kitchener said.
For more information, including how to register or make a donation for the 2024 Barrie MS Walk, click here.
