GGOP aka georgied
Georgiana Diolosa

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My name is Georgiana Diolosa but I am known as georgied or GGOP at MS World. I have three wonderful sons, Carson, Brandon and Michael, and a beautiful little granddaughter, Julianna, who is ten months and a great joy in my life, and another granddaughter on the way...can ya see me smilin'?

I was diagnosed with RRMS in 1996 after a feeling of great weakness in my legs and tripping over lots of ants.  But if I think back to my teens I can remember wondering why I would have times of complete exhaustion and just not feeling myself. . . I experienced a real downfall when I was 27.  I became paralyzed from the armpits down in a matter of three weeks . . . pretty scary, let me tell ya. Now I believe it started from all the stress I was under at that time with the divorce from my first husband and the deaths of my brother-in-law and my father. I was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, at which time they did a few tests and nothing showed up.

After about a week, some of the symptoms started to recede and the doctors just said it was a virus. Ironically they put me in a room with a girl who had MS. I went home and it took about three months to get back on my feet again. I was never quite the same again but I could function quite well and learned to make little adjustments in my life to get me by.

I did quite well for about 20 years. I remarried to a wonderful man named Joseph and now I had another son, Michael. I did lots of volunteer work at my children's school, running the library for 8 years and just enjoyed every minute with my family.

I also had a wonderful job doing quilt restoration, which I loved because it afforded me the time to be home with my children everyday. In 1996, I began to feel the weakness come back to my legs and went to my GP. Thank God he was on the ball and called for an MRI to be done and BINGO . . . MS was the diagnosis.

I wish I could have been so lucky with the lottery!! Anyway I did feel lucky because I had gotten it into my head that maybe I had a brain tumor. So when I heard MS, I said "Thank God . . . I can live with that!"

I told my family, and my hubby cried with me and said "What happens to you, happens to me." I knew I had married a very special man.

Then the worst happened. My dear husband, Joseph passed away on September 14, 2001 from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from 9/11. That loss was so overwhelming. I don't know how I found the strength to breathe after that. I can only say "Thank God for my sons."  They were and still are my rock.

From that time on, my MS had progressed and I am now SPMS. I am in a wheel chair now, but that is a blessing because I am no longer stuck in my home. I go everywhere and still enjoy all life has to offer. My passion is sewing – I quilt, crochet, embroider and I love to garden  Oh and let's not forget my Sweet Pea, Julianna!

I do get sad now and again when I see so many women my age so young and vibrant and able to play with their grandchildren and live life to the fullest with their life partners. But I am luckier then most, inasmuch as my family is so close to me and we are together all the time. They will not allow me to wallow in self-pity.  They will kick my butt if I try. So I will have a good cry every once in a while and then get on with the job of living and enjoying every sunrise and sunset.  As I found out. life is short and can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. No time for a pity party now.  I just want to enjoy all the blessings I do have.

Email me:  GGOP