Tralyne Usry's New Reality

We are friends of Ms. Usry a beloved friend and colleague recently diagnosed with MS.  Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.  This is the definition from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website.  This definition scary as it sounds cannot prepare anyone for dealing with the debilitating symptoms that can arrive without warning. 

This disease has taken over our young, giving, vibrant and creative friend of ours.  Tralyne has dedicated her life to serving others and she needs help now.  She is a Kindergarten teacher at Southwest Elementary in Durham, NC.  This year she co-produced our school production of The Lion King all the while struggling through her symptoms. For the last few years she has raised funds so she could offer  a free theater and literacy camp for kids back in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia.  In the summer of 2017 she expanded her camp to be offered free of charge in Durham. Last summer Tralyne’s symptoms began with numbness on one side of her body, pain in her lower extremities, feeling of being off balance constantly and the inability to walk normally. As the months passed she continued to press through to be at school every day even as her symptoms worsened.  We would pass her in the hall and many of us knew she wasn’t well.  You could see the pain in her face.  This is a full of life person, always planning her next project the next good thing she could do for someone, a smile, a compliment, a positive word.   In person or online, that’s all you will ever get from Tralyne: positivity.  We pray for a long lasting remission to come quickly.
 
Until remission comes, this pain and loss of independence is her new reality.  The cause of MS is unknown.  The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.  She seems to be having every possible symptom that you read about on websites about MS.  Over the last few months we’ve watched her come to school every day to make sure her students had what they need.  She has refused to go home and rest, dragging herself up and down the hall, dizzy, off balance, numb and in pain until one day we took her keys and drove her home.  It took the onset of double vision and her inability to get around her own apartment before she relented and asked a friend to take her to the emergency room.  She was admitted for three days.   This past week she was in the emergency room again for shortness of breath.  She came to school despite challenges the next day and the next.  Tralyne has had to temporarily give up her fur “baby” SashaMalia.  Anyone who owns a dog can relate to what it means to not be able to care for someone you love sooo MUCH!

Ms. Tralyne Usry needs help in this new reality.  She is using a walker to get around at home and at school and has not yet returned to driving, limiting her freedom.  She needs help in every aspect of living with this disease beginning with the bills, physical adaptions and much more.  A relapse which she is currently experiencing means unexpected visits to the ER, prescriptions for the multiple symptoms.  Her current symptoms include imbalance, weakness all over, numbness in her feet, face and fingers, itching for damaged nerve endings.  Unfortunately the length or severity of her symptoms cannot be determined. We would like to help her in all aspects of living with this disease right now.  Thank you so much for reading this, sharing Tralyne’s story and/or donating to help Tralyne recover and have the best quality of life while continuing to battle with this lifelong disease.\