Content warning: this episode includes a full and frank discussion about Jenny’s personal experiences of advanced MS and her decisions relating to Canada’s Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) law.
Jenny Angus was very physically active, with a career in property management, when what she calls the Poltergeist took up residence in her life. Originally misdiagnosed in 2004, it took 10 years before she received her correct diagnosis of MS – during which time her disease had been left to run unchecked. Along the way, she had to stop her artistic career, which was so closely tied up with her identity.
Jenny’s story is a difficult one. She has investigated assisted dying, an arduous process that is legal in Canada. But with the help of her friends, family, and countless strangers, she is having HSCT (haematopoietic stem cell transplantation), an intense chemotherapy treatment for MS, in Mexico in January 2022.
Recently she has been helping others through her patient advocacy work, and she is planning on blogging (and vlogging!) through her HSCT treatment.
Topics covered in this episode include:
- Jenny’s original symptoms, and her eventual diagnosis
- How her rapidly advancing MS affected her career and art
- How Kathy was able to give Jenny a sense of purpose through patient advocacy and helping others
- Jenny’s decision to explore assisted dying
- Why she is having HSCT, the details of the procedure, what is involved in her recovery, and how you can support her
Resources for this episode (clickable links):
- Visit Patients Getting Paid
- If you’re getting value from FUMS, please consider leaving a review wherever you’re listening now
- Help keep FUMS alive at the FUMS Podcast Patreon page – or buy FUMS Merch
- Visit Jenny’s MS Poltergeist website
- View Jenny’s online art gallery
- Connect with Jenny on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
- Visit Jenny’s GoFundMe page
- See Jenny’s profile and writing on MultipleSclerosis.net
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~ Special thanks to my podcast editor Steve Woodward. Do you have a podcast or are you interested in starting a pod? I HIGHLY recommend adding Steve to your team. Find him at PodcastingEditor.com