Cover story
The IronWoman -
Strength & Resilience
CHANGE OF FOCUS
It’s been four years since Abbey was diagnosed with MS, and she describes her physical wellness as follows: “I once felt like a dog being dragged by a bus, but since my healthy eating, I feel pretty dang good - compared to how I used to feel. ” The numbness and tingling she experiences throughout her body, from her face to her lower legs, forces her to use a cane to walk when outside her home and even use a scooter at times. She can hardly feel her fingernails scratch her face with the numbness she likens to being shot with Novocaine from a dental appointment.
“After my second Ironman, I had massive headaches every day, weakness and was utterly exhausted,” she said. “I remembered the testing in 2010, and that I had postponed following through with the MRI for three years. The entire left side of my body was pretty much numb, tingly and weak and it was time to get it done.”
In 2013, imaging and a spinal tap were given to see if Abbey did have MS, a disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation estimates that more than 400,000 people in the United States and approximately 2.5 million people around the world have MS. An estimated 200 cases are diagnosed each week nationwide.
“Setting goals is good, but if you can’t reach them it’s pretty hard on the self-esteem,” Abbey realized after abandoning her triathlon training following the MS diagnosis. “It was very hard on my ego to let go of the Ironman stuff. I didn’t know how much it inflated my ego to do it, but it did. And I didn’t realize that until I couldn’t do it.”
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