My Story
In July 2017, my life changed forever.
It all began with what seemed like a small problem — a bit of pain behind my right eye and some blurry vision. I brushed it off, thinking maybe I’d rubbed my eye too hard. But then, the unimaginable happened. I woke up one morning in excruciating pain — and completely blind in my right eye. It felt as if a white curtain had fallen over a window with the brightest sunlight behind it.
Terrified, I still went to work, called my doctor as soon as the clinic opened, and was seen that day. What followed was a whirlwind of appointments — an urgent visit to the optometrist, then to a neuro-ophthalmologist, who both found severe inflammation of my optic nerve. Tests began, and I was warned not to “Google” possible causes like lupus or multiple sclerosis. Of course, I did — and deep down, I knew what was coming.
An MRI soon confirmed it: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) — with more than 15 lesions, inflammation in my right frontal lobe, and damage to my optic nerve. Suddenly, all the unexplained symptoms from years prior made sense — the debilitating migraines since 2010, the fatigue I couldn’t explain, and vision problems that doctors had brushed off as “just being a tired working mom.”
Over the next few months, I endured multiple rounds of IV and oral steroids. Every time I tapered off, my vision would fade again. Then my left eye was affected. I couldn’t stay on steroids forever — the side effects were brutal — but without treatment, I was losing my sight.
That’s when I learned about Ocrevus, a new medication recently approved by Health Canada. At the time, B.C. didn’t cover it, but thankfully, our private insurance covered most of the cost, and a patient assistance program helped with the rest. I began treatment in early 2018, and by September, after my first full dose, I was finally able to come off steroids completely.
Ocrevus changed everything. Over the next several years, my relapses became less frequent, and my MRI scans have remained stable. I still live with challenges — spasticity, numbness, pain, muscle twitches, and motor issues — but I know things could have been far worse without early access to this life-saving medication.
Without Ocrevus, I don’t want to imagine where I would be today. Please help me fight for all B.C. MS warriors by signing my petition to the B.C. Government. Making all MS medications available for ALL types of MS - Making our treatment plans OURS & our Neurologists - not based on the cheaper, older, less effective medications that our B.C. government deems enough.
Please continue to Share my petition & help gather as many signatures as possible! I need everyone’s help! Support MS, Support me in this Journey! Sign & Share!