Dawn Moore talks about living with multiple sclerosis as Maryland's First Lady

ANAPOLIS, Md. — March is National Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. MS is a potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system. Approximately 2.5 million people worldwide suffer from multiple sclerosis. The cause is unknown, and there is no definitive cure, but there are many effective treatments.

Maryland First Lady Dawn Moore is one of those diagnosed with MS. Moore said she has been living with the disease for 20 years. For the first time since becoming first lady, she spoke about her experience. 

Moore said her first symptoms included double vision, a loss of taste and her walking gait was off.

“When I was diagnosed, I was diagnosed over 20 years ago. I have been very blessed to have what would be considered a benign course with the illness," Moore said. 

But she also explained that getting her diagnosis was difficult.

"As a young woman of color, I think I wasn’t always being heard. I think I wasn’t always being listened to. And I remember going to see the first doctor when I had double vision. I had lost the taste in my mouth, my gait was off. And he literally said to me ‘I think you’re too type A, and I think you’re having a nervous breakdown’ and that was shocking because I knew that’s not what it was, we know our bodies, and I couldn’t believe that’s what I was hearing,” Moore said.

When she went to a second doctor, she was told she had MS.

"I broke down in tears because I felt I was given a death sentence," Moore said. 

Moore said she went to a friend of her family, neurologist Dr. Carolyn Britton, in New York. Dr. Britton confirmed the diagnosis, but said it was not hopeless.

"She said, 'This is the right diagnosis, but I'm going to tell you, don't come in here with anyone else's illness. Everybody's course is different.'"

She said Dr. Britton helped her understand that she had a fight ahead of her, and she credits her husband, Gov. Wes Moore, and her family for helping her stay positive.

She said because her diagnosis was benign, she kept her MS quiet for years.

"I lived a little bit quiet about my illness because I could, because I had that privilege. But then I realized that really wasn't the best way for me to live," Moore said. "Both for being able to talk about it, but also hopefully making a difference in someone else's life who was living with it."

At the beginning of her MS journey, she took medication, but stopped taking it once she started having children. She said she has been off of medication for about 10 years. 

Now she said she manages her condition with a strong physical fitness routine, which includes meditation and yoga. She said she's also careful about managing her stress and seeks medical treatment if needed.

"What I'm thankful for is there is so much awareness around MS, there are so many great treatments around MS. People are living very full lives with MS. I know it's a very difficult diagnosis, but it is definitely one that you can survive with and you can thrive with," Moore said.

For more information about living with MS, click here.