Bio:   Chris was diagnosed with MS in 2017, and that's when she really decided to live her life how she wanted to. It really drove home – with the spectrum of types and prognoses – that anything can truly happen in life… we never know. So soon after this huge upheaval to her life, she began to look at both what she had to do now (like eat healthier and exercise) and what she wanted to do. Chris reevaluated her life in every way, which was incredibly hard but so worth it. She started with the happiness she had suppressed for a long time.    So many things have happened in the past four and a half years after diagnosis that she became a different person. She is still the same in some ways, of course – a crazy cat person and a Special Olympics volunteer for instance – but she has changed fundamentally. The way she views life, with a joy in the day to day and making sure those she loves know it, is now her core. Chris honestly can say that she is glad to be diagnosed with MS. As crazy as that sounds, it is true, because of all the epiphanies it has granted her.   Questions:   Welcome to the program Chris, and thanks so much for joining us on Living Well with MS. Our content theme for February is ‘sharing your story’, so in that spirit, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your life in Connecticut? Now let’s get some insight into your MS story: when were you diagnosed and how did you deal with the initial news? Do you have any tips or perspectives for people who are newly diagnosed? When did you discover Overcoming MS? And how has it impacted your life with MS? What were the main obstacles you faced in adopting the OMS lifestyle, and how did you deal with them? You have some personal experience with dealing with major life decisions and balancing these with their impacts on MS. In your case, your decision to come out about your sexuality. Can you tell us about that and how you balanced what must have been a stressful time with your need to stay calm and healthy? What advice would you give people with MS who are facing major life decisions or other stressful circumstances? What kinds of positive changes has your courage in making tough decisions summoned? How do you define “living life to the fullest”, especially from the perspective of someone with MS? Is there any other perspective on life and living it to the fullest that you can share with our audience that they may find helpful in giving them the final nudge of encouragement they need to take the leap on something daunting or scary? What else is on your bucket list for a full life?   Links:   Reach Chris’s blog on living despite the unknown here Check out Chris on Twitter Chris recommends finding and joining your local OMS Circle for support Chris wants anyone in the USA who is LGBTQ+ and struggling to know that they can text or call The Trevor Project (which is a nonprofit and totally free) by texting START to 678-678 or calling 1-866-488-7386   Coming up next:   Tune in on March 9 for the season premiere of Ask Jack, featuring the prodigious culinary talents of professional chef, writer, and OMSer Jack McNulty answering food and cooking questions from our community that inform their healthy OMS lifestyle.   Don’t miss out:   Subscribe to this podcast and never miss an episode. You can catch any episode of Living Well with MS here or on your favorite podcast listening app. For your convenience, a full episode transcript is also available on all platforms within 48 hours of each episode’s premiere. If you like our program, don’t be shy and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune into the show. And feel free to share your comments and suggestions for future guests and episode topics by emailing podcast@overcomingms.org.   S4E48 Transcript Living Life to the Fullest: A First Person POV of Living with MS   Geoff Allix (1s): Welcome to Living Well with MS, the podcast from Overcoming MS, the world's leading multiple sclerosis healthy lifestyle charity, celebra