About the author!

Hello! I hope you re all well! I would have never thought I'd be an 'author' of anything apart from a few petty Facebook statuses, but hey, here I am! Let me enjoy my small moment off fame!

I thought it would be a good idea to give whoever reads my blog posts a little bit about myself in the more pre-MS days and my diagnosis. I was born in Hackney ( East London) on the 21st of September 1993, I am the youngest son out of a total of 5 brothers, with two sisters coming after me, yes we are quite a big bunch!

I was a very active young boy slightly chubbier than most (believe me that's an important point!), always amongst the high achievers in education, obviously except for P.E, but  I did try my best regardless. I loved and participated in many types of sports, swimming, boxing, tennis, cricket and football to name a few, even if may skills in sport where usually as good as a club striker with two banana feet! I was always conscientious in everything I found myself taking part in, for arguments sake, I remember in primary school, the lessons I attended late to, my teachers used me as an example as I had managed to get more work done that most of the class! Not showing off but just to let you know how things were, especially - like most Asian youngsters- in the fields of Mathematics and Science.

My family always remember me as a very 'naughty' young boy, as I sought anything to break the normal routine, but never had I bee extremely problematic in my childhood. My teachers however saw me as a well behaved student, until they realised any thing I had done to break the rules was 'hidden' in a way that my friends would be the cause to blame! But that too had it's cracking point, but I think I've learnt lessons from life and that's the best way to go!

When I was in year 10, I had completed my Maths GCSE qualification at the end of the year and went on to complete my GCSEs the year after doing exceptionally well in the subjects I really enjoyed, obviously statistics and science! Completely acing my chemistry exam with 100% on the results sheet. These points all being relevant, but within my final two years I had very mild warning signs of the onset of multiple sclerosis, those being two bouts of optic neuritis ( will be discussed later) and loss of sensation in certain parts of the body. Without me really seeing it as a huge worry at the time, I had figured a pathway to complete college and go on to study medicine at university and hoping to become a surgeon as I wanted to be of assistance to people and on the front line, very much literally!

At the end of secondary school, I went to perform the optional pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and then Jordan and Palestine thereafter. When I was away in Jordan and Palestine especially I was weakened considerably from the effects of the disease, but when I returned home within weeks of my return the ball was rolling before I was diagnosed. I had seen a consultant neurologist after a severe episode of optic neuritis in January 2010 but the results from an MRI scan in February 2010 were never chased up. I saw the same consultant in August of the same year and in the same fashion as the doctor from the TV series 'House' he said to me, after reading my notes for literally 30 seconds, it looks like Multiple Sclerosis. This was the same day in which my parents and sisters had returned from their holiday and the second I had told my father, I can never forget his face dropping from joy to worry and thereafter sitting me down and letting me know that he was there for me so I should never worry.

I was recalled into hospital in a different hospital which I am a regular patient at now ( The National Hospital For Neurology And Neurosurgery), MS is filled with words that really take effort to say! I had another MRI scan and a lumbar puncture ( anything that may seem confusing will be covered later on) within few weeks later I was falling over around the house, needing assistance to cover my blanket at night and feeling completely burnt out. I was admitted as an emergency patient in the same hospital through I'm sure my father's professional links ( he was a social worker working in all fields) and within a few days, the very thing I had prayed for ( an answer to the confusion), finally became a reality, after the discussion between the doctors, their visit to me in my own room in the hospital was a hesitant one, I asked if it was definitely Multiple Sclerosis, with a slight relief on the doctor's face he said yes it is. From there my journey was more evident, a relief knowing the name of what was happening, an end to the endless land of limbo and a worry about the future but comforted by an almost hidden hope.