What They Don’t See: Honoring the Invisible Battles of MS
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Before you even open your eyes, you can feel it—that familiar heaviness, in your body and your heart.
You move through your days with a strength no one can fully understand unless they’ve lived it. To the outside world, you might seem like you’re handling it all—managing work, relationships, your health, even those little victories that others praise. But beneath the surface, there’s a weight you carry that few ever see.
This is what makes MS so hard sometimes. It’s often called the invisible disease, not just because the symptoms can’t always be seen, but because you can start to feel invisible too.
You smile through fatigue that makes it hard to stand.
You nod through conversations while your mind is foggy and scattered.
You get praised for your strength, but no one notices how much you just want someone to say, “You don’t have to do this alone.”
I know this because I’m living it too.
Success on the Outside, Struggles on the Inside
Right now, I’m occupying in this strange space between being celebrated and feeling completely unseen. Outwardly, everything looks like it’s going well—I’m featured in the Black Wall Street Times, I’ve won a $20,000 pitch competition for EmpowerMS, and people are clapping for what they think is success.
But behind closed doors, I’ve been struggling with severe depression, extreme pain, and financial uncertainty.
Most days, I feel like nobody really sees me. Not the pain in my body, not the emotional exhaustion, not the pressure of holding everything together. People see the headlines, not the heartbreak. They see the wins, not the weariness.
It’s hard to hold both truths at once—the woman who looks like she’s thriving, and the one who’s quietly trying to survive.
The Power of Being Seen
Sometimes, even the smallest gestures can feel like everything. A kind word. Someone asking how you really are. Someone offering support without you having to beg for it. When you’re so used to giving, to pushing through, to being strong, those moments of care can feel like water in a desert.
But here’s what I’m learning: I don’t have to wait for someone else to see me to know that I matter.
I’m learning to slow down and listen to my body, to honor what I need, to give myself the same compassion I offer others.
Because I’m not just my accomplishments or the strength.
And neither are you.
You Are Not Alone
If you’re feeling unseen right now, if you’re tired, overwhelmed, or just wishing someone would understand, I want you to know there’s space for you here.
In the EmpowerMS community, we don’t just talk about MS, we talk about life. The real, raw, beautiful, messy parts of it. We celebrate each other’s wins, but we also hold space for the struggles, for the moments when just getting out of bed feels like an accomplishment.
You deserve to be seen, not just for your strength, but for your softness too.
You deserve to be supported, not just for what you can do, but for who you are.
You deserve love, care, and community that gets it.
Join Us
If any of this resonates with you, we’d love for you to be part of EmpowerMS. Together, we are growing strength, joy, and resilience—one day at a time.
Let’s walk this path together.