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FM 100's Jill Atwood ReportingMultiple Sclerosis affects over 350-thousand Americans, attacking and sometimes disabling the central nervous system. Today you'll meet an extraordinary Utah who could use MS as an excuse, but instead it's a motivator for herself and everyone around her.
You can look as long as you like, but you won't pick up on it. Not a symptom, not a sign, not one shred of evidence.
Devin Gongora: "If I'm going to let it affect me it will affect me. I don't like acting like a victim. My problem is no bigger than the guy next to me."
Blackouts, numbness, stumbling, she experiences it all. Devin Gongora was diagnosed with MS when she was 17, one of 11-thousand other Utahns who suffer with the disease. But unlike others, Devin has embraced the challenge and uses it to her advantage.
Darlene Petersen, Devin's Sister: "Push, push, push, go go go. She's just amazing. Ibarely made it through her class. She's awesome. "
Devin teaches aerobics at Hill Air Force Base. To her it's not about looking good, it's about feeling good and living longer. It's also about letting all that energy bleed over into her students. Her story and her commitment to good health can't help but inspire them.
Maria Nelson, Devin's Student: "My parents both are diabetics. My sister just found out she is diabetic. So I figure if I work out, it at least prolongs the illness for me."
Darlene Petersen, Devin's Sister: "Everyone has their own battles, but it's the way you fight them depends, determines your sense of self confidence and character."
It's a battle that brings thousands to the streets of Utah every year. Devin and her family took part in the MS walk over the weekend.
Devin Gongora: "There is days that it's hard to get out of bed, but knowing I get to come doing something that is beneficial to everybody, I think is more rewarding for me to get out of bed and just push through and give me that energy to just keep on going."
If you're interested in taking a walk, there are a couple more MS walks around the state later this month. The money raised goes towards research and programs here locally.
