Meet MS Warrior Kari Earll
It is not just about me; it is what MS has taught my family!
written by Kari Earll
I am 46, but I tell everyone I am 25 and just have anniversaries of my 25th birthday every year. It seems to work best that way. Besides, I do not look, feel, or act my age. I am married to Mike; he is probably my biggest cheerleader for all my craziness along with our two daughters. Our girls are both in college now and Mike and I are both back in school as well pursuing degrees. Danielle will be graduating soon, and Annie just started her freshman year. We could not be prouder of the young women they have grown up to become.
My date, May 24, 2013, one that I will never forget. That is the day my doctor’s office called to tell me that I had the signs of MS and I needed to see a neurologist. However, my story does not start there nor does it end there. Let me take you back a few years before that. I had been experiencing migraine headaches regularly along with blurry vision. So, my doctor decided to run some tests, and nothing was there, yep, nothing in my head at all. We all knew that already; I did not need a CT scan to tell him that. I did not like to take medicine, but he did not like me taking so much ibuprofen, so we compromised, and I started a medication to prevent these headaches. Well, I decided it was about time to get in shape as well. Over the course of a year of medication the headaches were gone but I was still having vision issues. There seemed to be random times that it would be blurry and visits to the eye doctor were unsuccessful because as soon as I would show up it would be a day that my visions would be fine. Here I am working hard to lose weight and get active at the same time and feeling so worn out. I asked my doctor why I would be so tired, isn’t exercise supposed to give you energy and make you feel better? His response was simply put that I was a working mother and probably just burning the candle at both ends a little too much. Here we go again with blood work, nope, not a thyroid issue at all nothing seems to be wrong. Well, my vision is still coming and going so what’s up with that? During the year of 2012 I began running, after losing weight and starting to feel better. I ran my first 5k in May of 2012 and my first half-marathon in October of 2012. I thought I was doing great.
In March of 2013 I finally made it to the eye doctor on a day that my vision was a mess. He asked me about the color of the cap on a bottle of ink that he had and asked if it was a different shade of red when I compared it with either eye. It was, and he said to me “I think you may have MS.” I thought no way, I am a runner! I was training for yet another half-marathon. Just after that my husband and I were on a weekend trip and during a conversation I could not recall certain things from the 5k the year before. It was very upsetting to me so in May at my doctor visit I discussed the memory issues with my doctor and the ongoing vision issues. He said well I think we need an MRI to check for MS. I just looked at him and said that my eye doctor had suggested that earlier and I thought he was off his rocker, and so it began. I thought everyone with MS was in a wheelchair, so I was devastated. I told my husband I would understand if he did not want to stick around for this. He just looked at me and said if I have to push you or race next to you in a wheelchair then that is what I will do. Here we are seven years later, still running side by side, fundraising at times, and sometimes crossing finish lines together. Sometimes he beats me, I have been known to beat him too, but we try to stay together now.
Danielle, our oldest daughter, is attending college and will be graduating hopefully in the fall of 2021 with a bachelor’s in accounting. She has continued to be driven in her efforts to finish college even after she decided to change her major knowing she would need an extra semester or two. Danielle has a quiet personality, but she is a beautiful person. She is a lot like her dad. She has a very practical side to her that will serve her well in her future career. She is a very empathetic young woman and treats everyone she meets with such kindness. She loves her cat probably as much as we love her. We are very proud of her and all her achievements.
Annie is our baby; I am sure she would prefer to not be called that. She started her freshman year this year at the same college as her sister. She is pursuing a degree in elementary education with a certificate to teach special education. She has the biggest heart and is beautiful inside and out. She certainly has my personality and the things she says will sometimes take you by surprise if you do not know her very well. If she is comfortable around you, make no mistake you will be entertained often. She is the opposite of her sister and tends to be more free-spirited and enjoys life a little more on the edge. Her ability to think abstractly should be a benefit in the future to come up with new ways to inspire the children she teaches.
Probably the biggest moment in my running journey that I want to take a moment to mention is my second full marathon. This is the only race that my dad was at the finish line, along with both of my girls, my mom and several other family members. I am not sure if my dad even realized how much it meant to me that he was there that day. My brother took my husband to a few locations along the course so he could support me since he was not running it. However, in true support hero fashion my husband ran the last 2 miles with me. It was the last marathon that I have been able to complete at this point, my 2 attempts after that did not end with a finish, but that is ok with me. The other moment that captured my heart was both my girls being there. Somehow Annie managed to get thru the barricades at the finish line. When I crossed, she was there to hug me, give me water, help me with my medal and anything else that I needed. It was truly a moment for me that I will never forget.
My journey with MS is not over, it did not really start on May 24th of 2013. It started before then and it will continue, but it will not stop me. It has taught my family that we are resilient, and that no matter what I keep going. There is nothing you cannot achieve if you just set your mind to it. It is not about how late you are to the game, as long as you keep showing up. I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, runner, accountant, and many other things, but I am not MS.
I am an MS warrior, and I am Unstoppable.
