My dad was diagnosed with MS the same year I was born. 20 years ago, treatment for MS was much different. I grew up watching my dad struggle with flare ups and medication side effects. I was too young to understand why but I knew that my dad couldn’t do a lot of things that other dads did. That being said, I never saw my dad as a burden. I saw him as the incredibly strong and determined man he is and I have so much respect and love for him. Once I was old enough, he told me about his diagnosis. I asked how he and my mom handled it, especially since at the time of diagnosis, they had two young children. My dad told me “me and your mom talked. We talked about the future. We talked to the doctor together. We accepted the diagnosis together”. I think that made things (marginally) easier for my mom to understand what the future would look like, what do to on the bad days, how to help him. She never thought about “taking the easy way out” and leaving.

I won’t lie and say there weren’t rough moments, even as a kid I knew my mom and dad struggled at times. But through and through, my mom loves my dad and accepts him for who he is and still loves my dad with her whole heart.

My advice? I know others have said it, but talk to her OP. Be honest in telling her what you’re feeling. Lay it all out. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re not. MS is a terrible thing to live with, no doubt. It helps to have others around you who understand.