Renay Readette is a Salesforce Women-In-Tech User group advocate, Doggie Mom; Wife; EDM connoisseur, Business Analyst by day, wannabe geek 24X! She loves the Salesforce community. Connect with her on Twitter at @RReadette
This is her story of fighting Multiple Sclerosis.
“One day in 2008 I’m sitting in my cube at work, normal day, as I drink my coffee it occurs to me I can’t feel how hot the steaming coffee is on my tongue. Hmm that’s weird I think, but then I get caught up in the fire that is burning at work and don’t think about it again. Next I’m in the shower and figure out I can only feel the water on one side of my face. The entire right side of my face, up to my ear was numb. I could still move my eyebrows, smile, squint I just couldn’t feel it. Let’s say denial is not just a river in Egypt.
I didn’t want to accept something was wrong so I didn’t do anything. My boyfriend (now husband) talked me into going to the Dr. I lucked into the best General Practitioner you can have, who ran thru all these tests that led to Neurologist’s findings and the specialist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (www.omrf.org) to an actual diagnosis. I’m lucky in so many ways, my husband who cared enough to make me go to the doctor, who stayed with me when we weren’t married yet and I had this unreal unknown thing hanging over my head. My doctor’s that had the tests to run and actually being diagnosed, so many with symptoms go years without a final word.
I’ll never forget the day (OK I forget what actual day it was) that the doctor said “Because of your age, I think its multiple sclerosis and you need to see a specialist.” I just had turned 30 the way I tell the story now is I wanted to punch the doctor for saying it, but I was so unbelievably stunned. Just shocked. You think I have what? How do you get that? What do I do now?
My life is IT (Salesforce) and my brain runs non-stop. It was good for running through all the medical options, but, it took several years for me to stop obsessing about tomorrow, what if type questions. I’ve had my share of relapses, eye issues, numbness, never ending fatigue- but I’m NOT stopping my life. Whatever is going to happen with this enigma of a disease is going to happen whether I obsess about it or not. There is no controlling MS. For Type A personality, control freaks, like myself, this is a hard pill to swallow!
It's not easy and I have to remind myself how fortunate I am, when I can’t remember why I went into a room or the name of a common object becomes a “thingy”. I appreciate all the support from people I know and those of strangers in the fight against this disease and want to thank all that fight in their own ways!” -Renay Readette
Caption: my awesome parents (mom in the fur hat), aunt, cousins, friends,
in-laws and ever supportive loving husband at the MS Walk. They designed purple bandanas
with sparkly “R” for our MS Walk team “MS can suck it”
We at CRM Science are sponsoring, and riding in, Salesforce & Friends, Waves To Wine: Bike MS, to raise awareness, and money, that goes to REAL research to fight Multiple Sclerocis. Please join us, or give! The battle is being won! Thank you.
