Support: Adam

My husband Adam is pretty great. Ask anyone. Ask him. Ha! We started dating in 1998. At that time, I knew something was not quite right with me physically. I actually told Adam on our first date that I had arthritis (which is what I had been told) because we were walking a lot and I had decided to wear cute shoes instead of practical ones and I needed a rest. He was automatically sympathetic and showed concern the rest of the night. As our relationship grew, he showed even more support. Everyone saw how much he was there for me and I saw and felt it too.

By the time I was diagnosed with MS in 2011 we had been together for 13 years and married for two years. I never once doubted that he would stand by me. I am very lucky to have him and he says he is lucky to have me. We work together to navigate the unpredictable and changing nature of this disease and life together. We know that we must communicate honestly and effectively. We respect one another.

In many ways, Adam has been forced into the caregiver role. I am dependent on him for a lot of things. While this can cause resentment on both sides, it is something we have grown to accept. You have to grow with this disease not against it. That goes for both of us.

That isn’t to say that we don’t have our fair share of disagreements, tears, and even full-blown fights. We are just like normal couples. We also make each other laugh. If you can’t laugh together, you can’t love. I think we work as a couple because we are, at the core, the same couple we were when we started.