Posted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
While I was pregnant, I began having blurred vision. I went to see ophthalmologists, opticians, and general practitioners, but they kept saying nothing was wrong. I was sent to see a neurologist at a public hospital, but there were long wait times. Knowing I needed answers, I chose to go to a private hospital. The […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
Hi, my name is Noelani. I am 30 years old, was born and raised in Hawaii but currently reside in Nevada! Looking back, there were signs throughout my childhood of NMO, bowel/urinary incontinence, spurts of tingles, and needles in my extremities. In my early teens, I had episodes of numbness in my left arm and […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Voices of NMO
It started innocuously. In 2008 we moved to Ottawa with my employer for my career in pest control. On a gray, cloudy but humid day, I was out removing a wasp nest for a client. She pointed to the nest hanging off a tree branch, about 10 feet away, and I thought to myself, “not […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
In August 2019, while at work, I began to notice a change in my right eye. I thought it was the contacts I was wearing, so I removed them. Still, my vision felt strange. I realized that I was going blind and needed to go to an eye doctor. The eye doctor mentioned multiple sclerosis […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in MOG, Patient, Voices of NMO
It all began with a tremor. It was September 2018, and I was off on maternity leave after having my second daughter earlier that year. As nice as that should have been, I was probably at one of the lowest points in my life. I’d been diagnosed with post-natal depression a few months earlier. In […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in Caregiver, MOG, Voices of NMO
My beautiful 4-year-old (5 years old now) daughter Jaidyn woke up one morning in late April 2021 with a headache, fever, vomiting, and very lethargic. Her grandmother and I took her to the ER, thinking she simply had a virus and needed some fluids… that’s when our world turned upside down. Jaidyn’s headaches were getting […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in MOG, Patient, Voices of NMO
Clean and clear were my glasses but still I had trouble seeing clearly with my right eye. On Easter Monday in 2019, my vision deteriorated and by the end of the week, I was admitted to the hospital. I was feeling sick with almost no vision left in both eyes, experiencing painful eye movements and […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
A native Portuguese speaker and resident of Denmark, Leda wrote her story in English, Portuguese, and Danish. Please scroll down to read Leda’s story in Portuguese and/or Danish. In 2018 my life was peaking. My family was doing well. I had the most amazing job and spent my spare time teaching Zumba classes, boxing, and […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
Part I and II of this story were originally published in 2015 by NMO Stories, presented by The Guthy-Jackson Foundation and the Connor B. Judge Foundation. It was shared again on November 14th, 2019 in In Their Own Words by SRNA (Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association). Part I Sometimes I think I could write a book about my story with NMO… […]
Read MorePosted by: The Sumaira Foundation in NMO, Patient, Voices of NMO
My name is Pauline Richardson nee Grant. I grew up on a farm in Jamaica. My mom, being a cheerful giver, would invite people over all the time, always making sure they were well fed. My parents instilled in us strong values, the importance of family, faith, and community. My parents’ caring and compassionate attitude […]
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