A FRESH START FOR PEOPLE WITH MS
So why am I writing this
article? I was asked to share my personal response to the new building. So here
goes...
I remember coming through the
swishy doors for the first time: I had already been wowed by the outside appearance
of the new building and entrance. I remember looking around the light and airy
entrance space, and all the very modern light and glass to be seen whilst
looking up to the first floor. I felt tears pricking behind my eyes and a wave
of emotion swept over me. I heard a voice in my head which kept repeating the
same phrase over and over again and that phrase was, ‘ people with MS DO
matter, we DO matter’, and this after years of experiencing the opposite in
society in general: feeling ignored and side-lined by health professionals and
the general public alike.
It was a very emotional moment. Yes, of course problems have come to
light since I experienced that first heady moment and these will undoubtedly
take time to fix. Without a carpet the entrance hall has a rather chilly and
unwelcoming feel to it at the moment: the circular meeting table from the old
‘shed’ looks as though it has shrunk in the wash. But it is early days yet and
fortunately patience is something that MS patients have in spades, so this
needn't faze us too much.
What is more difficult to
digest is the sheer enormity of the change that has taken place. For once the
genie is out of the bottle, you cannot put it back again. This started me
thinking about the nature of change, as there seemed to be parallels here with
what is going on in my own life at the moment: I stand on the brink of a huge
change myself, being the change from home life to life in a residential care
setting. Why is change so flipping difficult? And frightening?
It seemed to me that what
occupied my thoughts the most was all the things that I was potentially losing
(cosy and familiar home environment, familiar carers, presence of children and
family) rather than all the potential gains (better adapted environment,
regular carers with no need for onerous management by me, improved family relationships).
Fear was masking the opportunities. The known seemed less threatening than the
unknown. I think it is probably the same with any change, including the change
to the new MS centre building. It is the transition phase that is the most
difficult for all concerned, especially because it happens quite slowly. All
one can do is mourn how things used to be whilst looking backwards and not
celebrate how they could be in future with
new opportunities. I realised that I must apply this learning to my own
situation too. What we all need to cope
with the changes are two things: patience
and courage. Luckily, from their experience of life, MS patients have these
qualities in spades: this is where we can really help our new centre which will
need our support here.