Doing The May 50k For Multiple Sclerosis

When one side of her body went numb, Naomi Skene shrugged it off as a reaction to her self-defence class. She took herself straight to emergency thinking she’d had a stroke when her face went numb.

Doctors said it could have been any number of things, including shingles, but after an MRI to rule out anything truly nasty, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). That was September last year.

“They found six lesions on my brain and a lesion on my spinal cord,” Ms Skene said.

Since learning of her condition, Ms Skene has also heard about The May 50k, a 50km marathon to raise funds for and awareness of MS.

“I decided I would do that and I got some friends involved,” Ms Skene said. “I’ve already exceeded that 50, so I’ve increased my target to 100k. On that final Sunday, we’ll get together and walk.”

Ms Skene has adjusted her attitude to be as positive as she can, though the fatigue is pretty overwhelming.

“I’m starting to learn my triggers,” she said.

“If I’m going out in the evening, I need to lie on the lounge all afternoon. Going blind was my biggest fear. I’ve had my eyes tested and everything is good for now.”

No two cases of MS are the same, not even day to day or hour to hour, and Ms Skene considers herself more fortunate than others. Some of her symptoms, though, like the MS flush, can be debilitating.

“It starts in my chest and goes up my face,” she said.

“It feels like the Inside of my chest cavity is shaking. It’s weird.

“It feels like I’ve got bugs crawling all over my body. “It’s weird.

“Sometimes I get shooting nerve pain.From my understanding you get new disabilities with each relapse.”

She also suffers from what she calls brain fog, sometimes forgetting or slurring her words. She can be overwhelmed by loud noises which can make it pretty hard to function in certain conditions.

Ms Skene is grateful for the support she receives from her family and friends. To make a donation, visit www.themay50k.org.au/donate and type in Naomi Skene.

• Topics:

• Fundraiser
• Health & Wellness