As we sat in the emergency room of OSU after 2 days of every testing you could possibly think of, my husband Austin was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, along with Optic Neuritis, and Demyelinating Disease at only 28 years old.

Our whole world as we knew it has been flipped upside down. We have 3 kids - our son Ayden who is 5 years old and is starting kindergarten this year, and our twin girls Izzy and Dezzy who will be turning 3 years old this October. We have a fur baby that is a pit mix whom we rescued as a puppy and she just turned 1. We will be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary this October. Watching our little ones grow and becoming who they are brings us great joy. Some days it is heartbreaking as they don't understand what is going on and that their daddy is sick and struggles every day with symptoms. The unpredictability of MS is terrifying and frightening, not only for him but for our family.

We have no stable income at the moment. I am not employed as I have been a stay at home mom ever since my first child was born. I have been trying to find a job, I've been to a few interviews, just no luck yet. Austin isn't able to work due to the severity of MS and Optic Neuritis has caused vision loss. We became home owners last year and I don't want to see my family lose our house. Most days I feel like I am drowning and I'm just not sure how I will be able to juggle everything from taking care of my children and getting my son to school all while getting a job and being able to afford bills, and traveling 2 hours away to make sure my husband gets the care that he needs from his doctors. I am not giving up hope and I will continue to trust God.

Austin always apologizes to me saying sorry but none of this is his fault. We are a team and right now our team needs help. MS doesn't just affect Austin but it is affecting all of us, including our children who need us to be strong.

I am reaching out with humility and hope. Any support you can offer would mean the world to our family as we navigate this scary and upredictable journey together. All support will be used to pay bills and to provide for our family. I pray it gets better and we will not give up hope!

Thank you for reading this. Your time and kindness means everything to our family. ❤️

Love,

Deanna and the Higgins Family