Oh Happy Day!!!!

For those of you that don't know, several years ago my Dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

What is MS? Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision.

What causes MS? MS is Thought to be an Autoimmune Disease. The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur.

(Information from The National MS Society)

Well today he had a check up with the head Neurologist at Kaiser. His MS has been reclassified as "benign" which means he is in REMISSION!!!! Seriously, I could NOT be happier. I called my sister immediately, and we were both crying. Still haven't quite gotten over the shock. I never, and I mean NEVER, thought this would happen. He will still have flare-ups if he pushes himself too hard, but this remission means his day-to-day life can go back to normal!! For years, we have not been able to plan things ahead of time. We never knew if he was going to have a good day or not. I cannot even begin to put it into words, how incredibly ecstatic I am.