Top
Stay in the know with Midlife-A-Go-Go!

Midlife-A-Go-Go

...enjoy the midlife, skip the crisis

You are here: Home / Podcast / Women and Multiple Sclerosis: Listening to Our Bodies and Advocating for Ourselves with Cathy Chester

Women and Multiple Sclerosis: Listening to Our Bodies and Advocating for Ourselves with Cathy Chester

By

When the phrase “chronic illness” is mentioned, what typically comes to mind for most people is likely cancer, heart disease or diabetes. However, there’s another chronic illness that affects an estimated nearly 1 million people in the United States and over 2.3 million people worldwide*: Multiple Sclerosis.

As “Midlife-A-Go-Go the podcast!” embarks on Season 6, I’m happy you could join me and my special guest on the show, Cathy Chester. In 1986, Cathy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Since that time she has become a tireless advocate to raise awareness about the disease. She’s on a mission to educate, empower and inspire those afflicted with MS to live full, rich lives. Cathy is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from WEGO Health, she was named one of the “Top 10 Social HealthMakers in Multiple Sclerosis” by Dr. Mehmet Oz’s platform, ShareCare, and the accolades and awards go on.

Cathy shares her MS journey, and I talk about my recent diagnosis of Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

*National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (n/d). Multiple Sclerosis Facts. https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/MS-FAQ-s

“As women, we need to speak up for ourselves, we need to advocate for ourselves. We deserve that. We deserve no less than what we need.” ~Cathy Chester

Share this tweetable nugget

“It’s just one step at a time. Don’t look at the long run. Just look right now. Be mindful of every minute of every day and your blessings that surround you and what you’re grateful for.” ~Cathy Chester

Share this tweetable nugget

On The Show . . .

On this episode, Cathy and I chat about:

  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Why MS is sometimes called the “invisible illness”
  • MS and its array of symptoms
  • Why people with MS refer to themselves as “snowflakes”
  • Women’s health and why we need to be our own best advocates
  • and more…

“It’s extremely important to take note that your body is a brilliant machine, and if it is telling you something, there’s something wrong, so listen to those signals.” ~Cathy Chester

Share this tweetable nugget

“It takes a really good medical team, doctor, nurse practitioner, to be able to synthesize all of the information and give you a great diagnosis of what’s happening in your body.” ~Cathy Chester

Share this tweetable nugget

Where to Find Cathy Chester:
Website: Cathy Chester: An Empowered Spirit 

Multiple Sclerosis Resources:
Organizations:

Of Interest:

 

“Midlife-A-Go-Go the podcast!” is hosted by Valerie Albarda

Let’s Get Social!
» Follow Midlife-A-Go-Go:  Twitter @midlifeagogo  |  Instagram @midlifeagogo|  Facebook @midlifeagogo
» Feedback: Email me at valerie@midlifeagogo.com

Music Credits:
“My Street” by Lee Rosevere Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/)

 

You can also listen and subscribe on:

             … and more

Comments

  1. Valerie says

    Valerie,
    Thank you for informing us on MS and the symptoms for which to look out. Cathy, what a blessing you are to be chosen to advocate for women living with MS. I pray you both have long fulfilling lives conquering MS at every turn.

    • Valerie Albarda says

      Thank you, Valerie. I hope to be around a long time to continue with this baton that I’ve been given. I hope to raise awareness as I battle this invisible illness.

What’s Inside

Menopause Q&A

menopause mantras

Midlife Mantras

Combating Midlife Negativity

Valerie around the web

error: Content is protected !!