Aida Alić

Country: Bosnia, living in Germany
Age: 32
Type of MS: Relapsing-remitting
Year of Diagnosis: 2000



In November 1999 I had problems seeing in one eye and moving my eyes felt painful. I was given an MRI scan of my head and a lumbar puncture and doctors told me that they were 75% sure that I had MS but if I didn’t have any more symptoms in the next five years then I could forget it all.

During the Easter holiday in 2000, I felt like I was wearing a jumper that was too tight and this unpleasant feeling spread to my shoulder, left arm and ear. My husband phoned a doctor, who told me I had a problem with my posture and back. In his opinion this could be cured by injections and tablets. This "jumper feeling" returned and spread into my limbs so I went to hospital where the doctor told me "I’m sorry, you have MS."

I can’t remember the thoughts that went through my head, I only know that I started to cry. At that time I believed my life was over because I had an incurable illness. I thought "at least it’s not fatal."

Fortunately, my husband and I made an appointment with AMSEL, a chapter of the German MS Society. I heard about AMSEL from a person with MS when I was in hospital. There, they told us about MS treatments and what living with MS was like. This helped me to live a normal life and I continued to work for the next two years. But, it was difficult to battle against people’s ignorance about MS. People said, "well, if she has problems with her legs, she can work sitting down," and "I’ve heard MS is infectious."

The numbness in my legs and odd sensations in my left hand caused me problems. I was worn out, found it hard to concentrate and I took much longer to deal with things than before. The slower I became, the more I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I could do everything. 100% wasn’t enough, it had to be 150%.

In 2002 my neurologist suggested that I retire. I had taken more sick leave than days at work, I went to bed when I got home from work and I had to rely on my husband and family to do my housework. So I retired when I was 24. The next few years were lovely, my husband and I made the best of everything. After careful consideration we decided to have a child and the day our daughter was born was the happiest day of our lives. Today she is two years old and we are a happy family. Although it is strenuous, we have managed it all with the help of my husband and our families.

Last winter I fell into a bottomless emotional chasm and no longer had the will to fight. My MS had worsened and I now had enormous difficulties in walking, balance problems and severe tiredness. Then came the AMSEL poster campaign for World MS Day 2009. A member of the AMSEL staff asked me to participate, and so I did. My portrait was on a poster ten meters high and postcards in cafes and public places! People recognised me in the street and I got a lot of messages on social websites. Everyone told me they really liked the campaign and they admired me for being so open about the disease. After taking part in the campaign I became more involved in my daughter’s day-care centre and did simple work like photocopying. Suddenly I was living again!


Aida and her husband in front of the
World MS Day poster in Stuttgart, Germany.

My motto in life is "I don’t let the illness get me down, I try to do things on my own and then ask for help with the things I can’t do." This is why I want to thank my family, friends and those who give me the understanding and support that I need.

MSIF would like to thank Patricia Fleischmann from AMSEL for the translation of this profile.

AMSEL