When you talk to Holly Sammons, you’ll notice her enthusiasm and appreciation for the good things going on in her life. What you won’t know is that this comes despite living with multiple sclerosis.
The condition has at times been disruptive and forced her to slow down, but it’s not what she focuses on.
“I refuse to let it define me,” she explained. “I just deal with it. Life is a roller coaster and some of us just have more ups and downs and curves and loop-de-loops.”
Holly first noticed problems five years ago. She had bouts of numbness followed by a prickly feeling. At times she would feel like a wave was moving under her skin but she could see nothing wrong. A doctor treating her for back pain put her in touch with a neurologist who diagnosed the issue and helped to treat it.
Now she keeps the focus on keeping up with her son and her job in the accounting department at a local college.
It’s not that it’s always easy. The hardest part came early on as they tried different medicines to find the one that would work. She didn’t have full control over her body and she had to rely more on her family. Holly said it was especially hard to not be there as much as she wanted for her son. Over time she’s learned to focus on what she can do and accept when she can’t do as much as she wants.
“It’s significantly changed how I look at my life and what I do,” she said. “I needed to learn to slow down but I’m also not going to stop”
Recently, Holly came to Ella Health for an annual mammogram and was glad to find that it wasn’t a typical clinic.
“I couldn’t have been more comfortable,” she said. “There isn’t even a waiting room, it’s really a lounge with soft, comfy chairs. And everyone was so friendly at attentive. I was actually relaxed walking out of a mammogram.”
Ella Health 