Back to Julie's Main Page
Julie Full-Lopez,
Godfrey, IL
Diagnosed with MS in 1981 at age 21, Julie Full-Lopez was told to slow down—words that were as foreign to her as her diagnosis of MS. She had just spent four years burning the candle at both ends, working full-time to pay for college and fitting in a full schedule of extracurricular activities.
Though fearful, Julie kept her disease hidden, plunging full speed ahead in pursuit of her goals and dreams. She soon married, and by age 27 was the mother of a five-year-old, had earned a Masters in English and American Literature and was working as a college teacher.
MS, however, wasn’t Julie’s only problem. By age 30, her marriage had disintegrated. She soon found herself a single mother, coping with a worsening disease—double vision, numbness, pain, unsteady gait—and trying to convince an eight-year-old that everything would be all right.
From the depths of her pain, Julie found the strength to reach out to local support groups. She began volunteering for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, organizing the local walk, leading support groups, and serving on national delegations. She researched new MS drugs, waging a personal campaign to receive new therapies. She even found herself involved in lobbying for FDA reform.
Julie’s tireless efforts to help others with MS have not gone unnoticed. Among her numerous honors, she was selected as an Olympic Torchbearer in 1996.
As for her fears, she poured them out into a journal—a journal she kept for 16 years and has since turned into a book called The Fluid Life. With the help of her Betaseron® Champions of CourageSM grant, her book will be published and made available to others.
Summarizing her battle with MS, Julie comments, “MS offers its hosts plenty of jumps and hurdles. When I encounter them, I’ve learned to write down my thoughts, and view reaching for someone’s hand as a strength, not a weakness.”
- Updated 1/2/03
