Gilenya Talk - Tulsa MS Walk

So, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to Tulsa for the MS Walk.  That Friday it was storming pretty bad here in Houston and United had to delay my flight over and over.  Almost an hour and a half after the original scheduled departure, I finally boarded the plane and I was on my way.  As soon as I landed, I hurried to find my driver because I was so ready to get to my hotel and relax!  The car ride wasn’t that long and I talked to my husband on the phone the whole way, not paying too much attention to start a conversation with my driver.  As soon as we got to the hotel, I got off the phone and thanked my driver.  He said he was sorry that we weren’t able to talk and as we were standing next to the car he asked me why I came to Tulsa.  I then went on to explain that I go to different events to speak about my experience with MS and taking Gilenya.  He then asked me a question that, to be honest, I wasn’t expecting.  “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?”  I responded by saying “Yes!” and telling him that’s been my source of strength dealing with MS. We talked more about it for a few minutes and then he asked if he could pray for me.  So, right there he held out his hands and prayed for me.  Wow, I think it is so great that he uses opportunities to witness to all the people that he drives around.  What a lesson to be learned…

The next morning got off to a rough start.  I went downstairs to get a cup of hot chocolate from Starbucks (my favorite) and ended up dropping the whole cup as I tried to get back into my room!  Good news is that I was still wearing my casual clothes and not the ones I planned on wearing to the event.  Things got better especially since it was such a beautiful day!  There was a pretty good turnout for the MS Walk.  I really enjoyed standing at the booth and getting to talk to people who came over.  It’s always great to talk to others that have MS or know someone close to them who has it.  You instantly have a bond with these people and I love being able to be an encouragement to others.  One elderly lady walked up and started telling us how her daughter has MS and every year she makes 30-40 bands to hand out that go around your neck and keep you cool.  It’s just her way of helping others.  I also met the “one” that everyone talks about who had to get off Gilenya because her blood pressure would not come down.  She didn’t go into too much detail about her MS and I’m sure it’s because she has had to tell so many other people.  She has been on all the meds and nothing is really helping control her MS.  I’ll be praying for her.  Although many people came to the Gilenya booth, only 5 ended up staying for the presentation.  I totally understand since they came to do the walk and that’s great.  I enjoyed talking to those 5 people just as much as having little conversations with all the other people from the day.  Another successful event done and ready for the next one in Dallas!