Turning challenges into finish lines one step at a time: Kate’s story

When Kate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in December 2019, life was already busy. She and her husband were preparing to move house, their children were just two and three years old and Christmas was only weeks away. Looking back, Kate now realises just how unwell she was at the time.

“I look back now and go, wow, I just thought I could keep pushing through like it wasn’t that bad,” she says. 

“But compared to how I feel now, I realise I actually was really unwell.”

Kate was diagnosed just before the COVID-19 pandemic. She considers herself fortunate that her diagnosis happened quickly and that she felt supported throughout the process.

“My GP was incredible. I was diagnosed within a month, which I now know is very unusual,” she says.

“I didn’t have to fight to be listened to or advocate for myself.”

Today, many of Kate’s symptoms are invisible to others. She experiences sensory issues, including pins and needles, along with significant fatigue but continues to work full-time and raise her family.

Because she often appears well, remembering her own limits can sometimes be challenging.

“I think the trap is that I look fine,” she says.

“Sometimes I need to remind myself that I do actually have MS and it is something that needs to be managed.”

Kate credits much of her resilience to the support of her family, particularly her husband, mother and extended family.

“My husband is amazing,” she says.

“If I say, ‘I’m done for the day,’ there are no questions asked. He just takes over. That support makes such a difference.”

Rather than allowing MS to define her life, Kate has focused on what she can control, including her physical and mental wellbeing.

Before her diagnosis, she had always been active and played basketball competitively. After a serious knee injury and her MS diagnosis, she no longer felt like herself physically. Within months, she signed up for a virtual 5km MS fundraising challenge.

What started as a personal goal quickly grew into something much bigger. By the time in-person events returned, Kate had completed her first half marathon, supported by a growing community of friends and family known as “Kate’s Crew”.

“It became this really beautiful thing where people said, ‘You’re doing something hard, so we’ll do something hard with you,’” she says.

Since then, running has become a major part of her life. She has completed a marathon and continues to encourage others around her to challenge themselves too.

“I ran the marathon to prove to myself that even though I have MS, I can still do hard things,” she says.

Alongside her running, Kate remains passionate about supporting MS research through fundraising initiatives such as The May 50Kopens in new tab and MS Walk Run + Rollopens in new tab.

“I really believe we’re living in the era of progress with MS,” she says.

“There’s so much more hope now than there used to be.”

For now, Kate is focused on her family, career, running and the future.

“Overall, life is really good,” she says.

“I’ll keep doing hard things, keep encouraging other people to do hard things, and hopefully MS will just keep sitting quietly in the background.”