Finding a Way When You're a Man Down

Watching the USA World Cup game last night, everything changed in a single split second. Our star forward received a red card. Just like that, the original game plan was shattered, and the team had to play the rest of the match one man down.

As the announcers debated the call, soccer legend Carli Lloyd summed up the reality of the situation in just six words:

"Find a way. Figure it out."

The moment she said it, it hit me like a lightning bolt. Because that is exactly how I have to look at my Multiple Sclerosis every single day.

An MS diagnosis feels like getting handed a permanent red card. Out of nowhere, the rules change. Your body alters the game plan without your permission. Suddenly, you are forced to navigate life "one man down," fighting a silent neurological battle just to do things that used to be second nature.

Fork You MS, Here is what I’ve decided: everyday, I find a way. I figure it out. I get things done.

Does it look the same as it did before MS? Absolutely not.

The pace might be slower. The methods might be entirely different. I might have to hold the rails on the treadmill or pause when the fatigue catches up to me.

But I refuse to let this disease write the final chapter of my story, and I am not letting MS stop me from reaching my goals.

To anyone reading this who is fighting their own quiet battle with a chronic illness: Keep marching forward. Hold your head high.

When the symptoms hit hard and the deck feels stacked against you, remember that you are still the coach of your own life. It’s okay if the strategy has to change. It’s okay if you stumble. Just do the absolute best you can with the strength you have today.

We can’t always control the red cards life hands us—but we can always choose to dig deep, find a way, and figure it out.