Living with Multiple Sclerosis

“Life as a farmer is rough. Now times that by ten and that’s what life is like for a farmer living with MS.”

Douglas W., 57 years old, is a farmer in a little town, and he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 6 years ago. Just by looking at him you couldn’t even tell he has it. But recently he had an out beak and now cannot work.

“It was like my body couldn’t control itself. All the sudden I couldn’t grip my spoon during dinner. That’s when I told my wife to take me in.”

Growing up Doug had an easy going life. He said it was just like any other child’s life. He went to school, got decent grades, and got a job right out of high school. He decided to start his own farm when he was in his late 20’s.

“My dad lived on a farm growing up and told me what it was like, so I just wanted something different than what I was already doing.”

The first animal he bought was his horse, Sugar. Then he added some pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, and even turkeys. He owns land that he grows hay on and even has his own little vegetable garden behind the house. To make a profit off the farm he sells vegetables from his garden and eggs from his chicken coup. Unfortunately he doesn’t make nearly enough just selling these so he has a second job working at a nursing home. But since the last outbreak of his MS he can only work 16 hours a week at the nursing home.

“Money right now is tough, MS has made it even worse. Now with winter coming I won’t have vegetables to sell, only eggs…”

Farming and keeping up with the animals and working at a nursing home is a lot of work for one man, now times that by ten, that’s what it is like for one man with MS.