Living life with multiple sclerosis

Catherine Hannah, from Orkney, was diagnosed with MS when she was an 18-year-old student at the University of Leeds.

The 37-year-old now uses a wheelchair; her body shakes, making it impossible to hold things; and she's losing her sight.

Orkney has the highest rate of MS on the planet - about one in every 330 people is believed to have the illness.

For Catherine, the progression of MS has been fairly steady - but she remains very positive, although she doesn't know what might happen next.

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My first attack was in Leeds when I tried to get out of bed and fell on the floor. I went to the university doctor and then into the Leeds General Hospital.

I lay on the bed and thought: 'Hey, this is MS.'

Catherine Hannah says she has just got on with life

I knew 20 people with MS. Coming from Orkney and having been born in Shetland, I knew a lot of people with it.

If you go on the street, ask anybody and they'll say they know somebody.

When I went to see the university doctor he had tissues on his table and he said: 'They think it's MS.'

And I was like: 'Hey, tell me something I didn't know.'

I was determined to get on with life and spend time in China as part of my university course.

That was the May or June. By September I was on the plane to go to China. I had MS but I decided nothing was going to stop me. I decided if I can, I will. So I did.

I did teacher training in Edinburgh. I did a term, but it was very hard work. You were staying up until maybe 12 o'clock at night, preparing for the next day.

It was hard work. Too hard work. My body just said no. I did have an attack, but luckily I was living with an old friend who helped.

But I came home and said to mum and dad: 'I don't think this is right.' So I stopped the course.

I went back to Orkney and for a while worked part-time in a shop until I had to stop work.

Catherine in more active days

If you've got MS, everybody is different. You may have one attack, you may have two attacks. Or you may relapse, remit or go to the stage I am now.

In a way it was a relief not to know the future. I just got on with my life.

No-one gave me an invitation not to do things. I just got on with it, and tried as best I could.

Now I just enjoy life and get on with it.

I'm lucky enough that my husband has given up his work to look after me.

So we can just enjoy it while we can.