Chelsey Tucker
Chelsey Tucker Residing with her husband, 5 children and 3 goldendoodles in Nashville TN, most people would agree that Chelsey Tucker lives anything but an ordinary life. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 21, Chelsey began a course of disease modifying treatments in hopes that the MS living inside her body would slow in progression. Alarmingly, instead of Chelsey’s body responding appropriately to the various treatments she was prescribed, the brutal attacks on her body seemed to occur more frequently and were far more clinically aggressive than what her medical team had ever seen in MS patients before.
“The years that followed my MS diagnosis were a nightmare. The medications that should have been working were failing. I felt like my body was under constant attack. I never knew what to expect from one day to the next. I accumulated debilitating symptoms with every new relapse, and after countless bouts of optic neuritis, I permanently lost sight in my left eye.”
It wasn’t until 2019 that Chelsey’s medical team was prompted to re-evaluate her MS diagnosis after she experienced an episode of catastrophic vision loss in both eyes. Upon completing comprehensive scans, bloodwork and a thorough review of her health records, Chelsey’s medical team reversed the MS diagnosis she had received more than a decade prior and concluded that she had Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD).
“I spent 10 years of my life living with the wrong diagnosis. I was treated with the wrong medications, some of which could have potentially triggered attacks. There is no way to go back and reverse the damage that has been done to my body, but I am determined to fiercely move forward and advocate for all NMOSD patients and their families. Nobody should ever have to experience what I went through.”
Aside from being a mom to her 5 beautiful children, as well as being an accomplished artist, Chelsey considers her role as an advocate within the NMOSD community to be the most healing and fulfilling work of her life.
Click here to read all of Chelsey’s articles on Neuromyelitis-Optica.net.
