April 24, 2017
1647
Erin Taylor remembers when things started to go wrong.
The 39-year-old Point Clark woman was 23 years old at the time and headed out on the ice to play ringette when she realized her feet weren't working properly. Then she began having other issues, such as dropping items because she couldn't feel they were slipping from her hands.
She also had a tingling down her spine, like little electrical shocks, when she tilted her head forward.
A visit to the doctor, followed by an X-ray, suggested scoliosis, but Erin rejected that idea because she had been having chiropractic treatments for years.
She was sent to a neurologist and underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and then an “Evoked Potential” test for vision and hearing.
Finally, after two years, in 2003, at the age of 25, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an auto-immune disorder affecting the central nervous system.
But, thanks to her family and friends, Erin has not allowed her disease to rule her life.
She grew up in Tiverton with her parents, Don and Nancy Taylor, and sisters, Lindsey (Taylor) Bowers and Lauren Robertson, both of Kincardine.
After attending college in Sarnia, Erin worked for Maple Leaf Foods in Kitchener-Waterloo for three-and-a-half years, and then moved to Calgary, Alberta, where she lived for six years, before moving back home where she got a job with Bruce Power last year, and now lives in Point Clark.
“I am very lucky to be able to do all that I can,” she said. “But I can't play ringette or baseball like I used to. I can't run at all, and I have very bad balance; if I trip, I can't catch my balance.”
Erin has “Relapsing and Remitting MS” which is different than the progressive type.
“There were a few injectable medications available, so I chose one because it had the fewest side effects,” she said. “But I was young and silly and when I felt fine, I would think that I didn't need to take the medication. So I didn't take the medication for a year or two.”
In 2010, in Calgary, she suffered severe optic neuritis and lost the vision in her left eye. She went to the Foothills MS Clinic in Calgary and had to complete a course of high-dose steroids.
“Five times per day over 10 days I was hooked to an IV (intravenous line), and there were huge side effects with that,” she said.
She then tried a new oral medication, TecFidera, but it made her sicker than before. “I felt flushed and chilled at the same time, and I was having gastrointestinal problems. So, I went off that."
Erin has suffered two relapses in the past year. She has mobility problems, vision issues and L'hermites Sign which is the tingling down her spine. She underwent another round of steroids and is now attending the MS Clinic at University Hospital in London, and taking a new oral medication, Gilenya, which doesn't have as many side effects.
Since Erin was diagnosed in 2003, her family has supported her, and participated in the MS Walk in Kincardine for the past 15 years.
“The majority of the money raised at the walk goes toward research to find a cure,” said Erin. “That's the best part about the MS Society.”
Erin Taylor (left) of Point Clark, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), enjoys a coffee at Bean's Bistro with her sister, Lindsey Bowers of Kincardine, and her three-month-old son, James Lincoln Bowers
Her sister, Lindsey, who is now married and has a three-month-old baby, has helped organize the walk for the past few years.
“I remember when Erin was first diagnosed,” said Lindsey. “It was scary. The only person we knew in town who had MS, was Jill Clark and hers was the progressive type. We didn't know that our great-uncle had MS until Erin was diagnosed.”
Having suffered with MS for almost 15 years, Erin said she would be willing to try more drastic measures to help alleviate the symptoms.
“I'm struggling a lot more,” she said. “Now, there is a lot of research being done into stem cell therapy but people have to travel overseas to get treatment. There are research trials being done here but I'm not a candidate for that.”
She said her parents have told her that if she needs money for treatments, it has been set aside for her.
“I'm so fortunate to have that great support,” said Erin. “It's one of the reasons I moved back to the area, to be near family and friends. Knowing I have their help, takes a huge weight off me.”
“It's nice for us too,” said Lindsey, “having her home.”
Erin said the MS Walk means “hope” for all who suffer from the disease.
“We even got 'hope' tattoos,” she said. “The funds raised go for research and to help people in our community who have MS. The Society provides mobility aids, and air-conditioners to help sufferers deal with the heat.”
Erin encourages others with MS to live their lives to the fullest. “So, you get a diagnosis that you have MS - deal with it and move on. I don't keep it hidden; I talk to people openly about it. And be your own best advocate for your health.”
The Kincardine MS Walk is slated for Sunday, May 7, at the Davidson Centre, with registration at 9 a.m. and the walk at 10 a.m. There are two routes – five kilometres and two kilometres – for people to walk.
Also this year, there is a kick-off event, a Celebrity Server Night, at Boston Pizza in Kincardine, Friday, April 28, from 5-9 p.m.
For more about the MS Walk, visit mssoc.convio.net/site/TR?fr_id=5473&pg=entry.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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