Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease with a wide range of symptoms that can come, go, linger, or worsen.
For many, understanding the facts — from diagnosis and treatment options to the challenges of living with the disease — is the first step in learning how to successfully manage it.
Fortunately, there’s a supportive community out there to lead the way by advocating, informing, and getting real about MS.
These blogs made our best list this year for their unique perspectives, passion, and commitment to helping those living with MS.
MultipleSclerosis.net
Driving safety, financial stress, weight gain, frustration, and fear of the future — for many living with MS, these are active concerns, and this site doesn’t shy away from any of them. The upfront and unvarnished tone is part of what makes the content on the MultipleSclerosis.net blog so powerful. Young writers and MS advocates like Devin Garlit and Brooke Pelczynski tell it like it is. There’s also a section on MS and Mental Health, valuable for anyone battling the emotional impacts of the disease or the depression that can come along with chronic illness.
A Couple Takes on MS
At its core, this is a remarkable love story about two people living with MS. But it doesn’t stop there. Married couple Jennifer and Dan both have MS and care for one another. On their blog, they share details of their day-to-day struggles and successes, along with thoughtful resources to help ease life with MS. They keep you up on all of their adventures, advocacy work, and how they treat and manage their individual cases of MS.
My New Normals
People with MS who are experiencing symptoms or having a particularly tough time will find helpful advice here. Nicole Lemelle has been an advocate in the MS community for as long as many of us can remember, and she’s found a sweet spot between telling her story honestly and continuing to inspire and uplift her community. Nicole’s MS journey has been a rocky one in recent years, but she shares her bravery in a way that’ll make you want to hug her through the computer screen.
MS Connection
People with MS and their caregivers looking for inspiration or education will find it here. This blog offers a huge variety of stories from people with MS in all stages of their lives. MS Connection talks about everything from relationships and exercise to career advice and everything in between. It’s hosted by the National MS Society, so you’ll find valuable research articles tossed in here, too.
Girl with MS
People newly diagnosed with MS will find this blog especially helpful, though anyone living with MS can find value in these articles. Caroline Craven has done an amazing job at creating an actionable resource for people with MS that includes topics like essential oils, supplement recommendations, and emotional wellness.
MS Conversations
This blog is helpful for people newly diagnosed with MS, or anyone with a specific MS issue in which they’d like to be advised on. Hosted by the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, the articles are written by people with MS from all walks of life. This is a great starting point for people looking for a full picture of life with MS.
Multiple Sclerosis News Today
If you’re looking for anything that could be considered news for the MS community, this is where you’ll find it. This is the only online publication that’s serving up MS-related news daily, providing a consistent and up-to-date resource.
Multiple Sclerosis Trust
People with MS living abroad will enjoy this variety of articles covering MS research. There are also personal stories of people living with MS and a list of MS-related events and fundraisers around the United Kingdom.
MS Society of Canada
Based out of Toronto, this organization provides services to those living with MS and their families, and funds research to find a cure. With a membership of over 17,000, they’re committed to supporting both MS research and services. Browse through research spotlights and funding news, and participate in free educational webinars.
Tripping Through Treacle
The tagline on this heartwarming and candid blog is “stumbling through life with MS.” Jen’s honest and empowered perspective resonates through every piece of content here — from posts on spoonie parenting to the realities of living with “chronic illness guilt” to product reviews. Jen also collaborates on Dizzycast, a podcast with Dinosaurs, Donkeys and MS (see below).
Dinosaurs, Donkeys and MS
Heather is a 27-year-old actor, teacher, and MS advocate who lives in England. She was diagnosed with MS several years ago, and began blogging shortly thereafter. In addition to sharing thoughts and perspectives on MS, she posts “foodie, relaxation stuff, and any exercising things” that prove helpful. A firm believer in a healthy lifestyle helping to improve life with MS, Heather often shares what has worked best for her.
Yvonne deSousa
Yvonne deSousa is funny. Browse her bio page and you’ll see what we mean. She has also lived with relapsing remitting MS since the age of 40. Her reaction when she was first diagnosed? “Hard to believe but I started to laugh. Then I cried. I called my sister Laurie who had been diagnosed with MS almost 10 years before. She made me laugh. I realized that laughing was more fun. Then I started to write.” Yvonne’s ability to find humor despite her hardships is remarkable, but she’s very candid when things get too dark or difficult to laugh about. “Multiple Sclerosis is serious and terrifying,” she writes. “These writings of mine are not meant to in any way belittle this condition or those suffering from it, especially those in advanced stages. My writing is only meant to offer a brief smile to those who can relate to some of the bizarre circumstances that arise from MS.”
My Odd Sock
Doug of My Odd Sock just felt like he needed a laugh after his diagnosis of MS back in 1996. And laugh he did. With his blog, he invites us all to laugh with him. Doug’s mixture of ironic wit and tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation coupled with his brutal honesty about living with MS make his blog posts feel like calm in the middle of a storm. Having spent his career as a comedian and advertising copywriter, Doug knows the ins and outs of “edu-taining.” He seeks to educate his readers about the realities of MS even when it gets embarrassing, like having unexpected difficulty urinating or passing a bowel movement, or having an unintended erection while getting Botox shots in the leg at the doctor’s office. He keeps us all laughing right along.
Stumbling in Flats
Stumbling in Flats is the book-turned-blog by project manager-turned-professional-writer-with-a-PhD Barbara A. Stensland. Based in Cardiff, Wales, Barbara was diagnosed with MS in 2012 and is not shy admitting that MS has often been a stumbling block in her life. She was let go from a job because of her MS, but that hasn’t stopped her from earning an MA in creative writing, winning several awards for her writing, being a consultant on movies for accurate depictions of MS, appearing on BBC and BBC Wales, and contributing to websites for clients as varied as pharmaceutical companies and MS societies. Barbara’s message is that you can still do anything, even with an MS diagnosis. She also uses her own recognition as a writer to help bring awareness to other bloggers who write about MS.
MS Views and News
Don’t let the simple Blogspot template fool you. MS Views and News is rich with information about the latest scientific breakthroughs and studies related to MS as well as cutting-edge research on MS treatments and links to helpful resources. Florida-based Stuart Schlossman was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and founded MS News and Views to offer a large volume of MS-related scientific and medical content all housed in one place rather than scattered throughout the Internet. This is truly a one-stop shop to sate your curiosity about what’s going on with MS research and get as close to the primary sources as possible without sifting through thousands of resources on the web.
Accessible Rach
Rachael Tomlinson is the namesake of her website Accessible Rach (tagline: “more than a wheelchair”). She’s a Yorkshire, England-based rugby fan first and foremost. And since her diagnosis with primary progressive MS, she’s turned her life with MS into an opportunity to talk about the wheelchair accessibility (or lack thereof) of many rugby league matches throughout the United Kingdom. Her work has helped bring awareness to the issue of sports stadium accessibility. She’s also a Renaissance woman. She runs a popular Instagram page promoting beauty and cosmetic tips while helping spread MS awareness and destroying the stigma around using a wheelchair.
Well and Strong with MS
Well and Strong with MS is the work of SocialChow founder and CEO Angie Rose Randall. Angie was born and raised in Chicago and became a communications expert before her diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS at 29 years old. Her mission is to put her busy life on display to show how much is still possible even after an MS diagnosis. And with several full-time roles, including running her own company with high-profile clients like Sprint and NASCAR, raising two young children and a Shih Tzu, and consistently writing about her experiences, she’s got her hands full. And she’s doing a pretty darn good job at it.
The MS Muse
This is a highly personal blog written by a young black woman who received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis 4 years ago. She is determined to explore her life fearlessly and not let MS define her. The blog features her first-person account of living with MS. You’ll find her “Disabled Chronicles” and “The Journal” full of straightforward everyday stories with no sugar-coating. If you want to read courageous and open stories of the disability, relapses, and depression that can accompany MS, coupled with Ashley’s fierce optimism, this is the blog for you.
Have a favorite blog you’d like to nominate? Email us at bestblogs@healthline.com.