Stories Archives - NMO Stories

In My Words | Sandra Adda

For Sandra, NMO patient advocacy is not a job, or a chore, it is a way of life. Her illness has deepened both her resilience and her compassion. She loves helping others achieve their full potential.
Hear My Voice | Jesus & Maria Loreto (English)
Spouse of the hidden illness

Unfortunately my story comes with no happy ending. My wife was 28 when she was formally diagnosed with NMO we have 3 beautiful children together. It took us years and many doctors to be able to find us some answers many doctors said they have no idea how to treat her then others kept on…
Family of 4

My name is Craig, and I live in Denver, CO these days. I have two beautiful children, a soon to be 3 year old and recently celebrated 2 month old. I run 2x p/week, strength train 2-3x p/week and not-so secretly aspire to run a 100-mile race (just entered the lottery for a famed Colorado…
Better late than never

It all started around October 2013 I had a bad case of hiccups and vomiting I was admitted to the hospital because I could not eat or keep fluids down . This lasted for about 15 days and resolved on it’s on then every year after that I puke have these same symptoms. Doctors at…
Everything changing at age 15

It all started on September 29, 2019 I had a severe headache and pain in my eyes. As a few days went by i started to realize that my vision had gotten blurry in my left eye. My mom took me to the eye doctor and they sent us straight to the ER thinking I…
Every story is different… Blessed with all the support system

Every story is different…It all happened 3.5 years back, when I was 25 years old, being a young budding General Surgeon with all the hope of treating my patients with my hands. It was a routine day, woke up to go to hospital where I was working, but I noticed pain in my eye, took…
Living With NMO

One Wednesday morning in July 2019, I woke up with vision loss. I went to look in my bathroom mirror because I thought maybe I was still asleep. After covering my right eye, I couldn’t see anything from my left eye. I immediately called my eye doctor to schedule an appointment. That Monday, the eye…
Still cooking¡

My NMO came on very gradual, years back my right foot started to feel numb, then it crept up my shin, my knee, then the same to my left leg. I am a chef and ran a catering company so I spent crazy long hours on my feet and I wrote it off as it…
my story – living with nmo – tears and laughter

It is 4am. It is not uncommon to wake up at this time. In fact, this is an everday occurrance. It is either my friend and pain-buddy, Skye, or myself that wakes up with the need to go to the toilet. My head is thick. I cannot even think properly. The pain is severe. My…
My New Normal

My story started after having a flu shot. I worked in the pharmacy for years so fyou got them so you wouldn’t get sick. I receieved my shot on Oct 1st , 2015. Week later I got sick with flu like symptoms, but flu test was negative. Within 4 days I felt better. I notice…
Surviving NMO in the Colorado Rockies

Like so many of my NMO brothers and sisters, I was misdiagnosed prior to being diagnosed with NMO. For about a year I was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, before getting the right diagnosis of Neuromyelitis Optica was made. During that time, I was put on medication for Multiple Sclerosis, which didn’t work and only…