MS Stories

Thank you for agreeing to tell us about your experiences of MS and the MS Society. We’ve just got a few quick questions to make sure we only use your story in the way you want.

To which branch of the MS Society do you belong (if any)?______

What’s your relationship to the MS Society?
Staff VolunteerMember
SupporterCampaigner Researcher
Healthcare professional Other (please specify)

Please tick all that apply

To which part of the MS community do you belong?
I have MS Someone in my family has/had MS
Someone I know has/had MS I’m a healthcare professional
I carry out research into MS I’m just interested
Other (please specify)

Apart from telling us your story now, would you be interested in doing any of these other things?
Having photos taken for the MS Society Being filmed for the MS Society
Being interviewed for MS Society publications (newsletters, website, etc.)
Being interviewed for a newspaper Being interviewed on radio
Being interviewed on TV

Are you happy for the story you tell us to include your name?
Yes  No 

Can we show a photograph of you with your story?
Yes No 

If the answer to the last question is “Yes”, do you have a photograph we can use? Don’t worry if not – we can take one.
Yes No

Are you happy for the story you tell us to include the name of the town (or nearest big town to) where you live?
Yes No

Lastly, we’d like to have your contact details in case we need to get in touch with you to clarify anything. Don’t worry – we won’t share your address, phone number or email address with anyone else, and we’ll only include your name in your story if you’ve given us permission.

Your name
Your address
Your phone number
Your email address

Your story

What’s your story?
When was this?
Where was it?
How old where you?
What else happened?
Who else was involved?
How did it make you feel?
How did the people around you feel?
Are things different now?
How do you feel about it now?
What would you like to have done / to have been different?
Do you have any photos from that time that you’d be willing to share with us?
And last but not least…
What’s your hope for the future?

Types of stories you can tell us about:

  • When I was diagnosed

You could tell us about how you felt, how the doctor felt, how your family reacted, what help and support you got (or didn’t get), etc.

  • When I first contacted the MS Society

You could tell us about how it felt, what happened, if you used a leaflet, phoned up or went to a branch event, if it changed anything for you, etc.

  • My MS Society fundraising event

You could tell us about an event you were involved in – what it was, how you organised it, how it made you feel, how much you raised, what people said about it, etc.

  • What happened when I told someone about my MS

You could tell us how you felt before you told then, whether you said it in the way you wanted to, how the conversation went, what the other person said, how you felt about their reaction, what your relationship is like now, etc.

  • What happened when someone told me about their MS

You could tell us how you felt when they told you, how you reacted, how the conversation went, what the other person said, what your relationship is like now, etc.

  • How life has changed since MS diagnosis
    You could tell us what your life was like before diagnosis, how things in your life and in the world have changed (or not), how quickly or slowly they’ve changed, etc.
  • How life has changed since 1953
    You could tell us about society’s attitudes towards MS and people affected by it, how treatments have changed, how the way medical staff behave has changed (if you feel it has), if you feel any changes have been particularly good or bad, etc.
  • Memories of the MS Society
    You could tell about your experiences with the MS Society, how it’s fitted in to your life (or not), if there have been times when you’ve needed it more than others, if you’ve made friendships through branches or forums, how you feel about the MS Society and if that’s changed over the years, etc.
  • Other kinds of stories
    Anything else you want to tell us about MS and the MS Society over the past 60 years!