‘I had my first episode of what I now know to be MS not long after my dad died back in 1993. I understand it is quite common to have your first episode in times of extreme stress.
‘Half my face was numb, but the neurologist I saw at the time said they didn’t expect to find anything. It was of course MS,’ Kate says.
‘These days my balance is a lot worse, I have issues speaking sometimes, aphasia and my muscles get a bit stiff. All triggered by heat. The most debilitating issues are cognitive.
After moving from Queensland, to Victoria and more recently Tasmania to find cooler temperatures, Kate has found spending time outdoors to be the best therapy.
‘My garden is so important to me. Without it I do very little physical work or activity, so I get depressed. I just don’t feel like myself without my garden. It grounds me and keeps me mentally calm when I need it,’ Kathryn says.
‘I get a lot of nourishment from nature, I find it very soothing. I like to go somewhere I can be in green places.’
Finding a new pathway after diagnosis
Kate left her work as a chef a few years after her diagnosis and was directed to retraining by MS Plus Employment Support Services. She then began working in an administrative role for the NAB.
‘I used to be a chef but had issues with the heat and fatigue and you need good memory to be a chef.’
As soon as she left work for good in 2011, Kate became a passionate volunteer, beginning at a local art gallery. She also gives back in part through her seed library, as part of a seed savers group, which she hosts out the front of her house.
‘The seeds I grow are free and people can come and grab some or deposit their own seeds for people to take. We teach people how to save the seeds by letting one of their plants to go to seed and then donating them back.
‘It started during COVID, when community groups were trying to keep people connected. It’s also about trying to teach people who might want to grow their own food or to connect with their local community,’ Kate says.
‘Volunteering is huge for me. I found so many groups of people who were really supportive, I could do jobs that wouldn’t make me ill and if it did make me ill, I could change what I was doing.’
Kate also joined a community garden in 2013.
‘Joining my local community garden in Melbourne gave me access to local networks, as well as fresh fruit and veg, and helped me make wonderful like-minded friends.
‘This encouraged me to learn more about growing my own food and to develop my Melbourne garden. It was a steep garden so it kept me fit but over time accessibility and the risk of falls became more of an issue.
‘Now in Tasmania, we are in a lovely house with more space and some mostly flat land. I can go from inside to outside easily on wheels now but have struggled with some of the rough ground to the veggie patch. Whatever happens I will always find a way to continue to grow food and flowers and be creative in a garden, it is just so good for my mental health.’
Going for gold
While Kate loves to garden, her mobility has impacted her ability to navigate the uneven garden ground.
Her recent MS Go for Gold Scholarship funds will help to build a new garden path, so Kate can once again enjoy safe and comfortable access to her garden.
‘I do my garden rounds every day if I can. I go out and look at buds forming or about to burst; I look under leaves to check for pests; I touch herbs to smell their scent; I pull the odd weed to give to my chickens; I watch the wild birds and stop to listen to their songs; I sit on our bench at the top of the patch to enjoy the view over the river; I work through questions and plans; I admire the colour of the new season’s flowers and I check on the fruit and veggies I grow for myself and my husband.
‘I will soon be able to access my garden on good MS days and bad MS days,’ Kate says.
‘I think everybody should start a garden. It’s so good for you. It really keeps you very grounded I think.
‘I feel it’s really important for those of us with disability or difference to try to get out into the community as much as possible. Maybe by volunteering or joining a club or even a community garden. Loneliness is a killer and besides, the wider community needs to know we are here.’