“I thought being diagnosed with an incurable disease at 33 was the worst thing that would ever happen to me. Fifteen years later, my life fell apart again,” said the mom of two in an interview, sharing her incredible journey.
This is the story of Emma Tinkler, an Australian woman with two daughters, diagnosed with two incurable diseases. Despite all odds, she has come a long way – “feeling flat and walking with a cane to having a spring in her step.”
Mom of two battles 2 diseases with no cure
Emma had just returned from her honeymoon in 2005 when she felt “needles and pins” in her fingers. However, she ignored the symptoms when her tests came back normal.
Five years later, she was forced to see a doctor when she felt a “waterfall in her eye and numbness in her toes.” She told FEMAIL that she noticed her handwriting was “wonky”.
They ran an MRI on her and she was diagnosed with MS. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the nervous system, brain, and spinal cord. The immune system attacks the protective sheath on the nerve fibers, thus causing issues in communication between the brain and the body.
Emma was 33 at the time and had no family history of the said disorder. However, her symptoms were minimal, so she was able to go about her life with medication and have two daughters in the years ahead.
“I ticked a lot of boxes for MS – I was a woman in my early thirties and three out of four patients diagnosed with MS are women,” she said.
But life had different plans for her. She was at a yoga retreat fifteen years after her first diagnosis when her legs started shaking. She found it difficult to lift her leg while walking.
At first, the doctors thought she showed symptoms of functional neurological disorder (FND). When physiotherapy, psychology, rehab, and nothing else worked, she sought a second opinion about her health condition.
Emma was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 48. She soon went from walking perfectly to needing a mobility scooter. She told the publication: “My life fell apart again.”
“One of my hands was trembling constantly, the other one felt like all my fingers were stuck together. I couldn’t text, I couldn’t eat properly, I couldn’t hold a burger or cup of tea, I wasn’t in a good state,” the mother of two said.
Her story is truly inspiring
Luckily, Emma’s condition improved drastically when she was placed on medication. “Over Christmas, I tied my shoelaces up and sent a picture to my mum… it was unbelievable,” an emotional Emma recollected.
After the holidays, she was able to visit her daughter’s school and walk to the front office thanks to the medicines. “The support I’ve had around me from friends, family, and the NDIS has been incredible. I couldn’t have done it without them,” she told the publication.
It’s a misconception that Parkinson’s only affects the elderly – people over the age of 80. So, Emma uses her story to spread awareness about both conditions she is battling. “I’m so passionate about advocating for Parkinson’s. It’s the fastest-growing neurological condition in the world, yet a lot of people don’t know what it is,” she said.
FEMAIL reports Emma has come forward to share her story to support the research Shake It Up Australia.
