American Student living with MS wins State running title!

Kayla Montgomery is an 18-year-old student in North Carolina who was diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis three years ago. Defying all logic she has gone onto to become one of the best teenage runners in America. However, after every race Kayla collapses at the finish line into her coaches arms.

MS, a neurological condition, blocks signals from her legs to the brain especially as her body temperature rises. As a result she can move at speeds that would cause other runners pain as she cannot sense it. Her legs go numb but she can keep going as if on autopilot but any disruption, such as stopping, makes her lose control and collapse.

“When I finish, it feels like there’s nothing underneath me,” Montgomery said. “I start out feeling normal and then my legs gradually go numb. I’ve trained myself to think about other things while I race, to get through. But when I break the motion, I can’t control them and I fall". At the finish of every race, she staggers and falls. Before momentum sends her flying to the ground, her coach braces to catch her, carrying her aside as her competitors finish and her parents swoop in to ice her legs. Minutes later, sensation returns and she rises, ready for another challenge.

She won the state title in the 3,200 metre this year, posting the 21st fastest time in the country. Kayla has not let MS limit her capabilities and she leads a normal teenage life in every sense. Lipscomb University in Tennessee is her next destination. She will enrol there this fall on a full scholarship.

Kayla is a great example of how getting the balance right with enough exercise and a healthy diet can greatly improve the lives of people living with MS.

Well done Kayla and keep up the great work from all at Team MS Ireland!

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