I am Estefania Flores. I was diagnosed in 2011, the day after my 18th birthday but never had a relapse till 2014. I missed so much school my senior year of high school, I had to do my senior project on MS because I didn’t have time to put anything together other than that. A girl in my class asked me if I was going to die from MS. It was like I fresh wound, I cried in front of the whole class because I was scared of what I had just gotten diagnosed with and I hadn’t really thought of the death aspect just yet. I wiped away the tears and finished my presentation. Eff you, high school bully. I ignored symptoms of fatigue, headaches, mood swings, I just wanted to be a “normal” young adult. I stopped taking my medication and going to check ups, I was invincible I didn’t have anything wrong with me if I just ignored it. 2014, I had just gotten back from an amazing vacation in Costa Rica with my sister. I was back home getting ready for Fall semester of college and while I was looking up, I felt a sharp pain behind my eye. Living in this generation, I quickly looked up my symptoms. Everything lead back to, Optic Neuritis associated with MS. Kept pushing and ignoring my symptoms, started school as a Biology major. My eye gets significantly worse in three days, I go to my normal MD and he gives me eye drops for pink eye. I go to the ophthalmologist I’d seen awhile ago, learned Optic Neuritis isn’t something you see every day. He invited everyone into the room before telling me what is going on. I cry, scared. He tells me, I start steroid infusions immediately. Three days talking to chemo patients makes me feel like I’m an idiot for worrying, these are actual people who are dying of CANCER and I’m scared of MS? Surely I’m being a child about this. I call my specialist at UCSF, he’s AMAZING. Such outstanding bedside manner, so warm, welcoming. I had to drop that semester because I had to drive to UCSF, 3 hours away from where I was living then. We have to redo all the tests because I refused the medication and it had been too long without being on anything. Still have MS. More steroids. UCSF had a clinical trial for people who had had Optic Neuritis in the last six months. I gladly agreed, anything in the right direction for a cure. Every other month, two hour MRIs, double blind study, not so bad. Everything went great. Im now back to 20/10, I had changed my diet and that might’ve helped also. I’ve also been taking Gilenya since October 2014 and feeling great. I really think a positive attitude is an immense help. I lost my boyfriend in January, and right now it’s hard to stay positive and sometimes I feel like I might have a relapse at any time. Sometimes I’m not so diligent with my medication but I know I have to keep pushing, I can’t give up. That’s me, having a pretty okay relationship with my MS, fatigue and headaches are rough some days and floaters scare me sometimes. But other than that, I’m okay.