Freshman Shhdwafi Youssef isn’t your average girly-girl. She’s into sports, weight training, and anything that has to do with nature. But all that stopped when she was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in 8th grade.

Youssef was sitting in a class when she felt a shock go through her spine and up to her brain.

“I couldn’t feel my legs, then the numbness went to my neck.”

After she went through multiple CAT scans and MRIs, the neurologists diagnosed her with MS.

“My family got really emotional when the doctors told them about my disease. Mostly because they also found out that it was spreading and if I didn’t get admitted to the hospital it was going to get worse.”

The first two days that she was in the hospital she found out that she had patches in her brain and she couldn’t walk, then her hands started to control themselves.

“I tried to act like nothing was wrong,” Youssef said. “To make my parents happy.”

It was a cycle for Youssef.

Continuous bad news came.

She worked on teaching herself how to control her legs and arms again. After about two weeks, she had recovered. She began playing basketball again; later discovering that she hadn’t completely recovered.

On a visit to the hospital during winter break, the doctors found something new.

“My face had become paralyzed for a while,” Youssef said. “The worst part is knowing that MS has no cure and that it could cause complete paralyzation.”