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I Saved My Own Life After Being Repeatedly Misdiagnosed

I can trace my first neuromyelitis optica (NMO) symptoms to when I was 12 years old. I’d be walking down a flight of stairs, and for a split second it was as if a switch had been thrown, cutting off communication between my brain and my legs, and I’d fall…

Recently Approved NMO Medications Are a Light on the Horizon

When I was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica (NMO) in 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hadn’t yet approved any medications specifically to treat this disease. However, doctors could select various therapies to help patients prevent or deal with attacks. When NMO patients had an attack, doctors treated…

My NMOSD Diagnosis Was a Long and Difficult Journey

I was born and raised in Cuba, playing outside, running, and enjoying my friends. In my healthy teen years, I didn’t think I’d ever become chronically sick, much less stop walking. However, everything changed when I watched a movie about a boy named Lorenzo who suffers from a degenerative…