A woman whose sister died from a life-long condition was left terrified about a similar situation happening to her – then she received the same horror diagnosis a few years later.
When Lotte Mikkelsen’s sister passed away after complications following her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS), she was left devastated – but then, she started experiencing similar symptoms.
The 55-year-old recalls her sister, Helle, constantly seeing double and after seeking medical advice, she was diagnosed with the life-long condition which affects the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
In 2008, 17 years after her sister’s untimely passing, Lotte woke up with the same distorted vision and immediately, knew that it was MS – and began fearing for her life.
Now, in a bid to raise awareness for the condition and how to ease the symptoms naturally, the mum–of-one is sharing not only hers, but also her sister’s, battle.
“I cried so much whenever my daughter went to school as I was so scared about my life, but I didn’t want her to know,” the laughter and yoga expert from Hertfordshire, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I remember my sister mentioning to me that she started seeing double right before her diagnosis and this stuck with me.
“So when I had that happen too, I knew what was coming.”
While the pair weren’t very close growing up due to their eight year age gap, Lotte looked up to Helle, especially for her outgoing and sociable attitude to life.
Shortly after her diagnosis, all of this changed and she recalls her sister becoming a “shell of herself” within her final years.
She said: “She became more introverted and her health quickly deteriorated until she was entirely bed ridden.
“When she passed, it was due to a case of pneumonia, that because of the MS, her body was unable to fight off.
“It was awful and I felt completely numb – I was in total shock and I broke down in tears at her funeral, sobbing my heart out.
“I spoke with the doctor and they told me: ‘You don’t die of MS, you die of complications from any other illnesses contracted as your body is too weak.’
“When I got my symptoms, and the diagnosis confirmed, that was the first thing I thought of and I couldn’t shake it from my mind.”
While she tried to remain strong for her daughter, Karen, now 27, her emotions soon got the better of her.
But instead of dwelling on it and keeping with the fear, she decided to switch up her attitude and try natural therapies instead, such as laughing.
Sadly, this wasn’t to last, as in 2018, Lotte suffered an extreme relapse where her life was on the line, after dealing with a “large amount” of stress.
The 55-year-old said: “My health was deteriorating quickly and I had a big reaction in my legs where I had difficulty walking.
“They felt entirely numb and it was as if I wasn’t in my own skin – it was very weird.
“I thought I had a trapped nerve, but when I got a second scan, they tried to put me on medication to help manage any relapse.
“I refused, as I didn’t want to be on tablets for the rest of my life, so I stuck with trying to deal with this naturally.”
Since 2000, Lotte has trained herself in holistic therapies, specifically on how laughter can help with not just our mental health, but also physically.
As she practices this daily, and has had no health complications in recent years, the mum believes that she no longer has MS.
She added: “It might still be there, but it’s not a huge problem for me and I’ve moved past it – I’m not suffering anymore.
“I often hear people say that they don’t remember the last time they had a really good belly laugh.
“We’re all different, but doing this can reduce stress, boost immunity, relieve pain and help alter the direction of certain conditions, including MS.
“I’ve not had any problems in the past five years, so it’s clearly working for me.
“Laughter isn’t about covering up feelings, it can connect you to other emotions and is a great way to lead a more empowered life.
“We’re responsible for our own lives, which we sometimes forget, but it’s all about changing the perspective toward a lot of things.
“Everyday I count my blessings that I’m still here, alive and well, and it’s all thanks to good old fashioned laughter.”
