You Can Help Make a Difference
As some of you may or may not know, my name is Ashley (Smitley) Carver. I am 28 years old and have Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I’m not really sure where or how to start because this is very hard for me, so I’ll start from the beginning.
When I was 22 years old, I started waking up exhausted, always feeling tired-like to to the point of falling asleep while while driving-, and having my feet and hands feel ice cold and numb. A month later, while driving my daughter to my parents, I was unable to move my legs to brake. I was fortunate enough to be able to cross traffic to get to a parking lot and not get hit. From there my mom took me to the ER where they found I had non-functioning legs. After a few dozen tests, on Aug 2nd 2012, I was told I had MS. My first question was, “Will I walk again?” Luckily for me I was given a couple rounds of steroid infusions and was able to regain use of my legs. I still had numbness, but I could use them nonetheless.
Updates (1)
January 5, 2019
Hey guys! So at the end of October I made the trip to Chicago to see Dr.Burt and Dr.B, both were completely dumbfounded that I was not using any sort of assistance with walking. They said that with the amount of lesions I had on my spine alone should be enough to put me with a walker or even a wheelchair. Which had me excited but terrified at the same time. As we continued with the evaluation Dr.B had told me that the only reason I can still walk is because I am young and still relatively healthy outside of the MS. But that I still could only have about 3 years of mobility without this procedure. When all was said and done both Drs were 110% on board we me being an awesome candidate...you guys read that right I was FINALLY OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED to undergo the life changing procedure! My approval is only valid until Oct 2019, before I will have to start the process over. I have been given some good news that an insurance that is available to me is able to cover some things so that helps with the cost but there is still a lot of money to make up for not counting my time off work. Please continue to share and again I am very appreciative for everyone that has shared and donated!
