Feature story
The IronWoman - Strength & Resilience in Appreciating the Moment
The constant headaches, tingling and numbness in her hands didn’t dissuade Abbey Phillips from pursuing her goal of crossing the finish line at Ironman Florida. After she had her first child in 2009, Abbey took her running skills she’d acquired at the age of 21 and added a swimming and bicycling regimen to fulfill her dream of competing in the ultimate triathlon. She wasn’t slowing down despite the symptoms she was experiencing at the time, and she achieved her dream of completing her first Ironman in 2010. It was a milestone year, not just because she finished the most difficult race of her life – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run - but because she received an unofficial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS).
“I was told by the neurologist that to confirm MS I needed to have an MRI six months later, but I waited because I felt relatively physically well,” Abbey said.
She continued her training to race in a 31-mile ultra-marathon when two weeks before the event she discovered she was pregnant. It was during this pregnancy that her symptoms intensified. Again, she believed the weakness, exhaustion, tingling and buzzing sensations were from her previous training and second pregnancy. Following her son’s birth in 2011, Abbey couldn’t hold her son for more than 30 seconds because the entire left side of her body was numb. Even walking upstairs in her home was challenging, but she would not be deterred from competing in her second Ironman Florida in 2012 after receiving an exclusive invitation.
THE IRONWOMAN - Strength & Resilience in Appreciating the Moment
Abbey Phillips Shares What It’s Like to Live with Multiple Sclerosis
By Jennifer Weaver
Photo Credit: Lauren Perry
of Perrywinkle Photography
22
The Beauty Battalion Magazine