Stefanie Light

Help Me Reclaim My Independence

My name is Stefanie Light, and I am a 50-year-old woman living with Multiple Sclerosis. This is not just a fundraiser for a vehicle—it’s a fundraiser for my freedom, independence, and quality of life.

My journey began around 2008 when I started experiencing vision problems and changes in my gait. Over the next six years, I endured countless doctor’s appointments, MRIs, and tests. Time after time, I was told that it was definitely not Multiple Sclerosis. Despite my symptoms continuing to worsen, I remained without answers.

Finally, in 2014, I met an incredible neurologist at WVU Medicine, Dr. Brick, who ordered yet another MRI. The results confirmed what my body had been trying to tell me for years—I had Multiple Sclerosis, with lesions throughout my brain and spine.

From that day forward, I fought with everything I had.

I began disease-modifying treatments, starting with Copaxone injections three times a week. The medication left me covered in painful welts and bruises but failed to slow the progression of my disease. Next came monthly Tysabri infusions, requiring long trips to Morgantown. Then Gilenya, which finally seemed to work and kept my MRIs stable for nearly seven years.

Unfortunately, MS had other plans.

By 2021, my health began declining again. My lymphocyte counts dropped dangerously low. I developed an AV heart block. My walking became more difficult, my energy disappeared, and painful muscle spasms became a daily reality. During a period without treatment, severe spasms partially tore my ACL. Because of the ongoing spasms, surgery was not an option.

What once seemed like simple tasks became overwhelming challenges.

I progressed from forearm crutches to a walker. Eventually, I had to accept that I needed a power wheelchair.

At first, that felt like another loss.

Instead, it became a gift.

The day my power wheelchair arrived, I regained pieces of my life that MS had stolen. I could go outside again. I could check my mail, visit my neighbors, and enjoy fresh air. For the first time in over a year, I felt independent.

But that independence came with a new obstacle.

My wheelchair weighs approximately 400 pounds, and my current vehicle cannot safely transport it. I dreamed of taking day trips, attending medical appointments without worry, visiting family, going to drive-in movies, and simply living life beyond the limits of my driveway. Unfortunately, those dreams have been put on hold because I do not have a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.

The reality is that wheelchair-accessible vans are incredibly expensive—even used ones.

As difficult as it is for me to ask for help, I am reaching out to my community, friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers. Every donation, no matter the amount, brings me one step closer to regaining the independence that Multiple Sclerosis has tried so hard to take away.

If you are unable to donate, sharing my story would mean the world to me.

Thank you for taking the time to read my journey, for your support, your prayers, and your kindness.

Together, you can help me reclaim my freedom, my mobility, and my independence.

With gratitude,

Stefanie Light ❤️

“Multiple Sclerosis may have changed my path, but it will not define my destination.”

Family and friends of Stefanie Light are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a catastrophic illness. Stefanie has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.