Identical twins Tamara Kahn and Terry Hord (née Harber) were born eight minutes apart and were both athletic as children. But they can now look back and see the fatigue and heat sensitivity they both experienced as early signs of the diagnosis to come – along with the trauma of losing their mother to cancer and the Epstein-Barr Virus that they contracted at the age of 15.
In their 20s they received identical MS diagnoses, but a history of voluntary charity work led them to create an MS patient advocacy hub called TwinsCoast2Coast. They aim to inspire, empower, support, and educate others about MS, and to simply tell their story, imperfections and all.
Despite the aggressive and progressive nature of MS for them both, they continue to create a support system and safe space for the newly diagnosed to land. As they say in this interview, “there is more to life than your disease – and you are not alone.”
Topics covered in this episode include:
- Tammy and Terry’s pre-diagnosis story – and why they recognize symptoms from their childhood
- Why they (and I) believe that MS lies in wait, only coming to the surface when it is fed with trauma – and the moment that changed their lives forever
- The definition of ‘Mirror Twins’
- How their history of voluntary activities fed into their patient advocacy and work with the MS Society
- How to contact Tammy and Terry
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 Twins Coast 2 Coast
- Connect with Tamara and Teri on Instagram and YouTube
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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