Stephanie O’Brien – Co. Tipperary | MS Journeys
For Stephanie O’Brien from Co. Tipperary, World MS Day is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the real impact multiple sclerosis can have on a person’s life, including the effects that are often not immediately visible.
“It raises awareness of a condition that not many people know the true impact of on someone's life that lives with it.”
For Stephanie, living with MS has brought challenge, change and a new understanding of herself, but it has also been a lesson in resilience.
“Living with MS isn’t easy, but it teaches you resilience and reminds you that while MS is part of your life, it doesn’t define who you are.”
She says MS has made her more aware of her limits and more compassionate with herself, particularly as she continues to rebuild confidence after cognitive symptoms affected things that once came naturally.
“MS has made me more aware of my limits and more compassionate with myself.”
Stephanie’s message to someone newly diagnosed is compassionate, reassuring and realistic. She acknowledges the emotional upheaval that can come with diagnosis, while encouraging people to accept support and trust that they will find their way through it.
“You will go through a rollercoaster of emotions and not just once. Let the feelings flow. Take all the supports offered to you and listen to your team.”
“You will be ok. You have MS, it does not have you.”
The support of her local community and branch has been hugely important from the very beginning. Stephanie says meeting people living with MS helped remove much of the fear she felt after diagnosis and gave her a strong sense of connection and support.
“Hugely important. I met the crew the day after I was diagnosed.”
MS Ireland has also played a major role in her life, providing practical support, access to services and a trusted point of contact when questions arise.
“It’s really good to have someone who knows the answers to any query relating to MS Ireland supports and anything else related to MS supports.”
For Stephanie, being part of the wider MS community means being able to connect with people who truly understand what living with the condition can feel like. She recalls how reassuring it was to speak with another woman of a similar age who had already gone through a similar experience.
“Being able to reach out to people who were in your shoes a couple of years before or even being able to ask questions if you have certain symptoms is amazing.”
Looking back, Stephanie says one of the things that surprised her most was learning to accept her diagnosis without letting it consume her.
“I came to learn that that was acceptance... ok that's happened, nothing I can do about it now and having the strength to not let it consume you.”
Fatigue remains one of the biggest challenges she faces, especially because it can worsen her cognitive symptoms and leave her feeling frustrated.
“Some days you can laugh at that attempted word that left your mouth but some days you just want to cry and that's ok too.”
To help manage her MS, Stephanie has found her own ways of coping both physically and emotionally. Cold water, breathwork and keeping notes for herself have all become important supports.
“My go to has always been cold water. My head goes quiet and I have a day without symptoms.”
One of the achievements she is most proud of is writing a book, something that grew out of an exercise suggested during therapy. What began as writing advice for someone she loved eventually became something much bigger and helped her regain a sense of control.
“I wrote a book.”
Stephanie is also passionate about challenging the misconception that MS is always visible. She wants people to understand that someone may appear perfectly fine on the outside while dealing with symptoms that cannot be seen.
“One of the biggest misunderstandings is that MS is always visible.”
“It’s very frustrating having to explain yourself when people can't physically see your struggle.”
Her message to others living with MS is beautifully simple:
“Be kind to yourself.”
Stephanie’s story is one of honesty, strength and self-discovery. It reflects the unseen challenges of living with MS, but also the support, courage and resilience that can grow through community and connection.
Stephanie MS Diagnosis Journey
