LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Blindness, hearing loss and a numb leg are just some of the symptoms a Louisville woman has faced in her decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.
Yvette Cabrera-Rojas turned nearly 40 years of pain into her life's purpose.
This photo shows Yvette Cabrera-Rojas' father at the beginning of his multiple sclerosis journey.
“I never thought that I would get to this age,” she said.
Cabrera-Rojas’ journey with multiple sclerosis started with her father's diagnosis. For the last 10 years of her father's life, she took care of him.
“He was in very bad shape," Cabrera-Rojas said. "He ended up a quadriplegic, and I thought 'oh, this is going to be me.'"
She was in her mid-20s and raising her young son, David, when she got the news that she also had the chronic disease.
Multiple sclerosis affects the nervous system and causes the body to attack itself.
“I had lost my vision," Cabrera-Rojas said. "I had lost my hearing in my right ear. In 1991, I woke up one day and lost the use of my leg.”
For the first few years for this painful journey, doctors also didn’t have any way to treat her multiple sclerosis.
“Thirty years ago, you got a diagnosis, and doctors wished you luck and hope everything turns out OK,” Andrea Rogers, with Norton Healthcare, said.
When all hope seemed lost, doctors found a treatment. For the first few years, Kentucky didn't have enough shots for everyone in need. It wasn't until 1994 that Cabrera-Rojas was able to get on the list.
“I got back my life, Cabrera-Rojas said.
Slowly, more options became available. Today, there are around 20 multiple sclerosis treatments.
"Around 2007, new biologic drugs came out," Cabrera-Rojas said. "I was able to plan for the future and plan trips."
She went from not being able to think about tomorrow to signing up for a half-marathon and walking her son down the aisle.
For the last 10 years of her father's life, Yvette Cabrera-Rojas took care of him.
“And now I have a granddaughter," Cabrera-Rojas said through tears. "A little girl named Olivia.”
She now spends her days helping others who have multiple sclerosis and similar diseases. In 2004, she started a resource center at Norton Healthcare.
“I didn't want anyone to go through what I had gone through with my father," Cabrera-Rojas said. "It wasn't about my multiple sclerosis, it was about his. The worst case-scenario.”
If you or a loved one are battling multiple sclerosis or a similar disease, the resource center is at the Norton Healthcare in St. Matthews.
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