About No More Sclerosis

Quiyada Wilkerson started No More Sclerosis Online to become a spokesperson for those suffering with the very challenging ailment called Multiple Sclerosis. This has been her calling ever since a cold winter day in 2006. She had two MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging) and two spinal taps. Something wasn't right with her body. She couldn't put her hand on it but her body was changing for the worse. She had difficulty driving and as days went on she noticed her vision changing. Quiyada saw two of everything and the images were on top of each other.

Before December 1, 2006 she said to herself, "I need glasses to help me drive and fix my vision. Something has definitely gone wrong with my vision." It was September 26, 2006, her three year wedding anniversary. She told her husband she would be home a little late because her parents were carrying her to the optometrist. While sitting in the office she described her symptoms to the eye doctor. She said, "Lets do the eye exam and see how things add up." After definitely failing the eye exam the optometrist took a close look at Quiyada. She asked, "Have you been having bad headaches?" Quiyada agreed but questioned her what that could mean.

She looked at Quiyada closer and said, "I don't believe your problem is optical. You need to immediately schedule an appointment with your physician. Quiyada you need to get checked for Multiple Sclerosis." Quiyada thought to herself, MS? Me? How could I even be considered? As days went by her body continued to struggle. She couldn't walk a straight line, back pains increased, the headaches became worse and it was apparent that something was wrong with her body.

She hinted off at friends about the idea of having Multiple Sclerosis. She joked it off, thinking this couldn't possibly be her fate. She would say, "That's the disease Tamia was diagnosed with and Lena Horne. They are two beautiful women." She'd continue, "Oh, I get it...MS really stands for MAD SEXY. MAD SEXY women get this disease. After two MRIs, numerous blood tests, a VER test, two spinal taps and more it ceased to be a laughing matter. She would tell her husband Undra, "I just want to know what this is."

December 1, 2006 was the day she sat down in the office and heard the words she will not soon forget, "Definitely Multiple Sclerosis". She listened as the neurologist explained the disease. Quiyada had developed multiple or many scar tissues (sclerosis) on her myelin sheath - the material that covers nerves. Because of the scar tissue she was sufferinf damage in her central nervous system. Being that the myelin or the covering was damaged her nerves were not delivering the messages from her brain to other areas of her body properly.

Quiyada asked her neurologist how she contracted MS and more importantly...How does it get cured. He looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry. There is no cure for MS - only treatment through betaserone injections. There were ideas about how people got MS but no definite cause was determined. Quiyada felt hopeless. No reason. No cure. She was diagnosed around Christmas. The very sound of Christmas songs made her disgusted. "How can I have joy in a time like this? I am twenty four years old and I can barely walk. I cant lift my babies. I can't rock my stilletos. It's plenty people doing worse things than me. They have their health. Why was mine taken away for no reason with no cause.

Battling with a rough road to heaaling she struggled with depression until one day she stopped. "My parents always told me God would be there for me. I wonder if He's here now?"

SPIRITUAL CONOTATION

Quiyada realized that He was there and the truth of the matter was He never left...she did. There were many areas in her life where she struggled... not just physically but psychologically. She dealt with self esteem like many other women. Never pretty enough, not developed enough, not smart enough...never enough. Then there were the relationships that fell apart, the friendships that faded away and the dreams that dissolved. All of those things pushed her farther away from God. If he was real, he'd know what I was dealing with and would've stopped it. Quiyada had unconsciously held grudges in her life and ran away from God. Sure, she had been attending church but a relationship with God was far and in between. Now she was at a place of confusion and loneliness and she needed to know that God was real.

This wasn't based on religion but based on relationship. She needed to be able to speak to God to deal with the depression. She cried out one day, "Speak to me...say something." She was led to the dictionary.

MULTIPLE - Many
SCLEROSIS - Scars

A scar in the natural is defined as a mark left by a healed wound, sore, or burn. Keyword in that phrase is healed. Quiyada did have many scars but they were spiritual. A scar in the psychological manner is defined as a lasting aftereffect of trouble, esp. a lasting psychological injury resulting from suffering or trauma. There were events in Quiyada's life that had scarred her. They were many or multiple. There was the boyfriend that cheated, the drop out of college, the lack of a job, the speech impediment, and many others. Multiple scars. A scar is only a mark left from a healed wound. Quiyada had failed to realize those areas were healed. She didn't have to dwell on her past negatively. Jesus was wounded for those scars... he knew they would happen. He offered healing to her based on his injuries. His injuries made her COMPLETE and LASTING spiritual healing possible.Her spirit was already healed but the scars or the aftermath caused her to doubt the healing and the healer.

The past or her sclerosis caused damage to her "spiritual" central nervous system:

The brain
Her thoughts were damaged by her past...causing her to constantly focus on her mistakes

The spine
She had to ask herself was she aligned properly with the Word after all her tribulations

The optic nerve
She had difficulty seeing herself free from her past and living a productive life

Once Quiyada looked at her life spiritually and evaluated how her past was affecting her spirit she corrected the errors and found joy unspeakable and an everlasting peace.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE

Quiyada was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS. Meaning she would possibly have to deal with ups and downs of the disease. How does this play out spiritually?

Medically, remission is a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease. When Quiyada decided to live her life with a relationship with God she found true spiritual remission. Remission, in non-medical terms, is defined as pardon; forgiveness, as of sins or offenses. It is also defined as the relinquishment of a payment, obligation, etc. When she walked into full spiritual remission she accepted the pardon of her sins through the gift of salvation furnished by Jesus. He paid her sin debt and paid for all her scars when he was wounded on Calvary. It was just up to her to receive the gift and in return receive remission.

"My daily walk with God protects me from spiritual relapse." Quiyada stated. When a person medically relapses they fall back into a former state, especially after apparent improvement. Some of us relapse in the spirit after being in remission and accepting the gift of salvation. Another definition for relapse is to fall back into vice, wrongdoing, or error; backslide. We have to walk close with God in the spirit so that we don't relapse into what scarred us and damaged our spiritual central nervous system.

That's what No More Sclerosis is all about - avoiding relapse. To answer the question are we focusing on the spirit or the body, I'll answer with this. Illness is something that grips all races, status and class. It comes like a thief. But Jesus said it best.

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:5-6 KJV)

MS can do nothing to your spirit if you don't allow it to. Your scars won't affect you negatively unless you allow them to. Your body, is indeed the temple of the Holy Ghost. We must maintain it as such. You will find RSS feeds and more dedicated to MS research and personal post from Quiyada and how she is dealing with symptoms. First spiritual and then natural. No More Sclerosis is here for those dealing with multiple scars in the spirit and flesh. We are dedicated to eliminated relapses on both fronts.