Woman Warrior Project- Angela Missler, I WILL Beat MS
I am now on Part 6 of this project and let me tell you, being able to meet all of these amazing women and photograph them has been so rewarding. The strength of each of these women is unreal, I am in awe of all of them....
Angela Missler is no different.
Angela was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 22 years old. This disease affects so many people, yet not many know exactly what MS is. Angela's mission is to not only spread awareness of this disease, but also show people that this disease does NOT control your life.
She has been told she was a BURDEN for having the disease, and anytime she doesn't want to get out of bed, she thinks back to that statement and decides to prove that person wrong. Not only does she get out of bed, she climbs mountains! She is any BUT a burden and continues to prove people wrong. I am so lucky to have met her!
The following is written by her:
"I was 12 years old and it was a week before Christmas, I woke up to my mother in the midst of a seizure. I grabbed her and pulled her down to the floor, dialed 911 and my brother began administering CPR. She died in our arms that morning.
Having that image haunting me began my severe depression and weight loss struggles. I always felt like my Multiple Sclerosis symptoms were from the stress I was putting on my body from harsh drugs, alcohol and the binge and purge of food on a constant basis. I became someone I never thought I would by the age of 16, consistently drinking and abusing my health - I started to realize that I was losing feeling in my feet and having vertigo, but I would just blame it on the amount of alcohol consumption.
Fast forward to my 22nd birthday; I was at work, and had a pallet fall on top of me - crushing me into the ground. I was alone in the back of the store on a ladder, thankfully the ladder took the brunt of the weight, however both of my knees ended up being shattered. I ended up having a knee replacement on my left and a partial knee replacement on my right. I wound up in the hospital the day after my birthday, and stayed there for almost 2 months. While in in the hospital, I wound up with a blood infection and a behind the knee infection. I had massive bruising, and was swollen all over. I was given morphine and other pharmaceutical drugs - some of which I eventually declined because of how dependent I was becoming to them. Most of my stay was a blur, I remember my father visiting briefly, my pastor, my cousin, and my sisters with my step mother - my then boyfriend only came twice and ignored me majority of the time because he was too busy arguing with my family members and the doctors.
At this point, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Due to my symptoms, they told me I would never be able to walk without a walker or cane again - or may even be wheelchair bound. I told my then boyfriend, who I had been with for almost 2 years, and he told me he "couldn't handle a burden like that" and ended up breaking up with me shortly after my hospital stay.
I set out to focus on making my mind better first - to get all negative thoughts out of my head. I was diagnosed with MS, had my knees pieced back together, and was diagnosed with reactive arthritis in basically every major joint - but I couldn't let that stop me! Every day, I challenged myself to push harder and to take less steroids and medicine. I did physical therapy every other day for 3 months to work on techniques to help strengthen my muscles. Eventually I turned to all natural medicine and became less dependent on my wheelchair, walker and even my cane.
I could walk again, and I wanted to prove the doctors wrong, and prove that I'd be able to climb mountains. I began walking Green Lake in Seattle once a week without my walker (I brought my cane and tried to only use it if I absolutely had to). Then, my best friend Danielle, and I worked together and she learned of my story and wanted to help me recover achieve my goals. She was (and still is) my biggest motivator, so we started to do smaller hikes every Sunday since we both had that day off of work. It's been two years now and that tradition still lives on!
This year alone: I have hiked 47 hikes, hiked 286.9 miles and hiked 71,773 ft of elevation (and it's only July!). My goals for this year were: 52 hikes, 500 miles and 50k ft of elevation!
My motivation is still the word "burden" however, I know I am never and nor will ever be a burden to anyone. I have come such a long way without pharmaceutical drugs, and with my own determination and constant support from best friends, coworkers and family to achieve my goals. I want to be a motivator like Danielle was for me, and I want to make more people aware of what MS is and understand invisible diseases. I hope to show that although I have MS, MS does NOT have me.
I WILL BEAT MS. "
