Durban resident living with MS thrives against all odds
Tuesday, May 30 was Multiple Sclerosis Day, and we chatted with Erusha Pather, who, despite being diagnosed with this condition, was able to finish and pass her law degree.
ERUSHA Pather is a perfect example of the saying, ‘Anything is possible if you put your mind to it’.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the age of 18, the Queensburgh resident was able to finish and pass her law degree and explore the things she loves.
For Pather, MS has changed her life for the better as she can appreciate the little things in life.
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The 32-year-old said she was diagnosed with the condition a week before she was supposed to start university.
“I had a pins-and-needles pain in my feet, and when I told my mother, she did not think much of it as I used to love sitting cross-legged.
“She got worried when I told her that the pain is slowly moving up through my body, so she took me to our regular general practitioner who did an x-ray but saw nothing. He then referred us to a neurologist.”
Pather said that the neurologist told them it was a pinched nerve and put her on traction to sort out the pinch.
“I was in hospital for a few days, but those feelings did not go away. It was when I fell in the shower in hospital that they did an MRI scan.
“That is when they picked up lesions in my brain,” she said. Brain lesions are areas of damaged brain tissue.
Although it was the first time that Pather had heard about this condition, she said she was a bit relieved that they picked it up and that there was definitely something wrong with her.
“The doctor told me that there was no cure – I thought, ‘I am just 18, and I am supposed to be just starting my life’. Luckily for me, I had an uncle in Australia who dealt with people with MS. He sent me information to read through. He advised me to not google information as it would show the worst-case scenarios.”
Pather went to school to study engineering but had two relapses due to stress.
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“My doctor advised me to take a break. I did for a year, and I enrolled at UNISA to study Law.”
According to her, the condition did not affect her as much for the first 10 years.
“I was able to do the things I wanted – I even did bungee jumping and paragliding off Lion’s Head in Cape Town – I am an adrenaline junkie,” she said with a smile.
The confident Pather said she did not let her diagnosis stop her from exploring and doing the things she loves.
In 2018, her condition started taking a turn. “I struggled to walk – I was doing my internship at the court at that time – I guess the stress got to me. My mobility got worse, so while studying and going to campus to prep and write for the law board exams, I used a wheelchair – with a positive mindset, I did not give up, and I passed,” she said with confidence.
Changing her lifestyle
MS also made Pather change her lifestyle. “I eat very healthy, and I am now a vegan. I do physio, meditate, and do many breathing exercises.”
She works from home as a consultant for a contract law firm.
“People with MS are grateful for their lives – it teaches us a different way to live, to appreciate and acknowledge even the smallest thing. For me, I have good and better days – never a bad day.”
She encouraged people to never give up – there is always a silver lining. The power is within us, within your mind, body and spirit. You can overcome anything – you just need to be positive,” said the inspirational Pather.
Pather added that she has a tremendous loving support system from her mother, father, younger brother and boyfriend.
“They go through all the ups and downs with me.”
What is MS?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). It is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering over nerves.
In MS, resulting nerve damage disrupts communication between the brain and the body.
Multiple sclerosis causes many different symptoms, including vision loss; pain; fatigue; slurred speech; dizziness; numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time, or on your legs and trunk; electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially when bending the neck forward (Lhermitte sign); tremors; lack of coordination or unsteady gait, and/or sexual, bowel or bladder-function issues.
Vision problems are also common, including partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement; prolonged double vision, and blurry vision.
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The severity and duration of the symptoms can vary from person to person. It is sometimes referred to as the snowflake disease, as everyone’s symptoms are unique to them. Some people may be symptom-free for most of their lives, while others can have severe, chronic symptoms that never go away.
Signs and symptoms of MS vary widely and depend on the amount of nerve damage and which nerves are affected. Some people with severe MS may lose the ability to walk independently or at all, while others may experience long periods of remission without any new symptoms.
There’s no cure for multiple sclerosis. However, treatments can help speed recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms.
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