My name is Marti Hines. I am 37 years old and live in Los Angeles.

I woke up one morning in August of 2018 paralyzed on my entire left side. It was the scariest day of my life. Doctors thought I had had a stroke and were racing the clock to try and identify what had happened to me in case what they feared was a blood clot could happen again. I was paralyzed for 3 hours while they poked, prodded, and med vacc’d me to another hospital. Finally an MRI scan showed several lesions on my brain and spinal cord resulting in a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. 

The past 2 years have been a roller coaster of denial and grief as I watched my body take on a mind of its own, feeling this non stop pain, the lack of control over my mind, my limbs, my vision, and even my bladder. God and my support system have kept me going. 

As a woman of colour, I found that there is so much to this disease that is unknown and, more so, symptoms that are specific or more heightened in POC. I am using my voice and my platform in the entertainment world of Hollywood to shed light and hopefully be a resource to other warriors fighting this disease. 

I chose this split picture in hopes that people will understand a bit more of what an invisible illness looks like. I am in pain in both photos. Please try to be kind and don’t judge us. I’m always looking for ways to counterbalance my symptoms with holistic approaches from LED Therapy, Cryotherapy, IV vitamin infusions, CBD, and THC remedies. I was so excited to find YuYu has full body heat relief is something I am always in search of. MS has a funny way of you needing ice on your neck and heat on your lower half some days!

I have several fundraisers coming up this year in the #racetoerasems and I hope that you will follow along with my journey on my new YouTube channel Marti’s MS Life @martismslife. 

"I am not my MS. I am a fighter, an entrepreneur, a creator, an artist, a daughter, a sister, and a phenomenal black woman who also happens to have a spotted mind."

Follow Marti on Instagram at @martismslife

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