Set up to succeed at work: Sonya’s story

When Sonya participated in the MS Walk, Run + Roll fundraiser in 2021, she ended up walking alongside an MS Plus Employment Support Services staff member. This chance meeting led to Sonya being connected to their services and having her own consultant Anne.

“Thanks to Anne, I now have an office set up at home and work, I have a particular screen that’s good for my vision, foot stools and a proper chair. A lot of Anne’s advice is about strategies to manage my symptoms, maintaining a work life balance and feeling confident and comfortable in my workplace,” Sonya says.

“I have been someone who has worked full time since I was 16. I have had a diverse career and have spent the last eight years working in a marketing team for a vocational college.

“I have a varied role where in one week I might be attending a career expo, reporting on marketing campaigns, working on social media, so it’s been good to work with Anne to look at what strategies to put into play for different scenarios.”

Sonya found navigating her 2019 diagnosis particularly difficult during the pandemic, especially when she began developing new symptoms — struggling with movement and control on the right side of her body.

“I’ve always worked and the thought that this might have been in jeopardy was worrying for me but through Anne I’ve realised that it was absolutely possible for me to continue. I also know when Anne isn’t there, I will be able to work with another consultant, I know there is always someone there and the service remains so consistent,” Sonya says.

Sonya’s workplace has also been very supportive since she revealed her diagnosis to them.

“I decided to tell them, as it was pretty obvious something was wrong, I couldn’t see out of one eye and there would be days where I would walk with a limp. I didn’t want people making their own assumptions.

“Working with Anne has helped me understand that I can have MS and still work but it’s the strategies you build in to maintain that balance that are important.

“There have been so many milestones while working with Anne. The insight she has given me into my symptoms and the different ways I could work has been invaluable now feel comfortable to ask for assistance when I need it.

“When I was experiencing this weakness that hit the right side of my body Anne, who has a background in physio was a wealth of knowledge and connected me to a local physio.”

Finding the right supports

"Having the support from Anne also allows me to talk about my symptoms something I don’t necessarily want to burden my family and friends with. So I have another outlet to talk about things and work things out and it can be hard for people who don’t have MS to really understand," Sonya says.

In addition to her chats with the employment support service and MS nurses, Sonya is also helped through her Peer Support Group, after joining this year.

"I think peer support has been amazing. To hear other people’s strategies was great, we had similar situations where we were balancing working, families and managing MS. It made you feel like you had your own community."

Thanks to winning an MS Go for Gold Scholarship this year, Sonya, who lives on the northwest coast of Tasmania, also plans to stay active with a new e-bike. Over the summer, a bike path was completed, linking her local area to the nearest township. The path runs for 6km and her son regularly enjoys a ride along the coast into town.

"I have worked hard to manage my symptoms and have built a great support network of health care professionals and of course family to keep this beast at bay and to gain back what was taken from me.

"While at times the progress has been slow, with hard work and with regular physio, I am now ready to get back on the bike, literally!"

"I can’t wait to join my son on his rides, I just need a little extra juice to get there," Sonya says.