Being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis is often a shock for most people. The need for an MS mentor is great and can help a newly diagnosed person learn how to deal with this disease in an effective manner. If you’ve just found out you have MS, then locating a support group is going to be extremely beneficial. Unless you already have someone in your family who currently has this disease as well, locating another person with MS will give you someone to talk.
It’s much easier to talk to someone who is going through the same thing you are. A mentor can provide guidance and emotional support when you become frustrated with how MS is affecting your life. This person can also teach you ways to deal with daily tasks and symptoms to make them more manageable. Having an ally on your side might make the news of being diagnosed with MS a lot less scary.
Talk to your doctor about finding a mentor who has MS or where an MS support group might take place. Getting involved with the rest of the MS community enables everyone to work together and support one another through good times and bad. Someone who is extremely knowledgeable about the disease would also make an excellent mentor and would be able to help you find answers to just about any question you might have.
Mentors don’t have to be found locally either. There many people online in MS forums, frequenting chat rooms on MS sites, and who even have their own blog about their daily experiences with MS. These individuals are generally more than willing to help others at no cost at all.
Becoming a Mentor Yourself
Helping someone else through tough times might be something you’d enjoy as well. Being a mentor to someone with MS, if you have been battling it for a number of years, can be extremely rewarding. You can introduce yourself to new members of a support group if you are a part of one or leave your contact information with the local MS chapter. It wouldn’t hurt to let your doctor know that you are available to help someone else who was recently diagnosed with MS, in case the doctor knows of someone who is having a difficult time adjusting. Not everyone has the patients or desire to become an MS mentor, but for those who do, helping others is a great feeling.
