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Pauline's Story Hi! My name is Pauline Thomson, and I have been a member of Sutton and Croydon MSTC since August 1996. I was diagnosed with relapsing/remitting MS in July 1994, but wasn’t aware of the Therapy Centre until I had a major relapse in 1996 and spent two months in hospital. My physiotherapist at Mayday Hospital told me about the Centre and went with me to find out more. What a mixture of emotions I had on that day. At one level I was so pleased that at last someone had found a place where I could do something to help me. Why had no-one told me sooner? On another level, there were people doing quite complicated exercises (or so it seemed to me as a spectator) - how could I possibly do what they were doing? I soon learned that all the exercises were specially designed to help people with MS, and with the help and guidance of the very patient physiotherapy team, I could do them too! And what a mind-shift. I moved from thinking about MS and what I couldn’t do (and feeling very sorry for myself) to thinking about my MS and what I could do. Of course, that didn’t happen overnight, but as I began attending regularly I realised just how important that support is. After 10 years, my MS is now classified as secondary progressive. So here I am, 13 years on, and still attending as regularly as I can. I know it does me good, and I am so grateful to the Centre and all it offers me. I am maintaining as much flexibility as I can, and I know my walking and movements would be very much worse without going to the Centre regularly. When I was still working I attended on a Wednesday night. Since giving up work I attend Thursday morning sessions. And although I don’t leap up out of bed on a Thursday morning and say “Whoopee! I am going to my exercise class this morning”, I know that what I do at the Centre keeps me as well as I am. And the Centre offers much more in terms of friendship and camaraderie. I now feel I have some good friends at the Centre, and enjoy the social contact and just talking together. This is such an important part of what it offers. The Centre is such an important place for all of us with MS. In the current financial climate we have to do all we can to can to keep the Centre going by raising funds. The Centre has done so much to help me that I am trying to help with fundraising as much as I am able. It is small fry, but it does help a little. If you value our Centre as much as I do I know that you will do the same. | ||||
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Me on a recent holiday in the Dordogne, France. | ||||
Mont Blanc Trek | ||||
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