The news I didn't see coming. View this email in your browser Mary Joan Cunningham Vol.1 So this happened... I was just diagnosed with MS. Two months ago. Shocker.



I didn't expect it and didn't know a thing about MS, other than something about wheelchairs.



The morning I woke up for kundalini meditation training was the beginning of a full-on nerve freak out that, within two weeks, left me unable to walk and see straight, and rendered half of my face numb.



Rather than going into fear, very quickly after receiving my diagnosis, I saw it as something to learn from, teach from, live from, and love from.



A diagnosis doesn't define us. It shows us how we can work miracles. {Tweet this}



I am at the beginning of a magical journey, one which I hope will help others along their path, be it also with MS, autoimmunity issues, depression, anxiety, or the stress of daily life, for it's not about what they say we "have" --we've all got something-- it's about what we do to move forward.



In my healing, I will be exploring the overlap of conventional and functional therapies, Eastern and Western ideas of healing, and the wonderful intersection of Mind, Body and Soul. And I look forward to sharing that information with as many people as possible.



While I never would have asked to be given such a diagnosis, I do feel I have been given it for a reason. I hope anyone with MS or autoimmunity diagnoses find some inspiration-- and ideally laughter!-- in the information I'll be sharing here, every two weeks.



Above all, I hope that people will join me in thriving with MS.



xo,

Mary



Here's the story: Listen to me share it in the podcast or scroll to read the transcription at the bottom of this email. Podcast {Chapters} 0:14 Symptoms & early diagnosis

3:00 The 2nd ER diagnosis {shocker!}

3:40 Fun with spinal taps

4:13 NOT Googling fears

4:54 Changing the energy, even in the hospital

6:23 Taking the other road; using this situation in the best way

6:51 Late nights in the hospital "You do a lot of thinking/ I just sorta doubted this whole thing"

8:35 Getting affairs in order/ trying to establish control Who do I owe money to?

I need 2 vacations a year: why have I been living my life this stressed out?

How do I honor my body? {Who am I going to make love to?}

What am I doing? 10:42 The Diagnosis/ "You hear those words..."

12:27 The Miracle/ "I got this."

14:00 Tools for thriving/ Knowing what to ask for without knowing what I need. "I realized this was something I could handle so I let go of fear that told me I couldn't." 15:24 Healing in multi-sensory ways. "This is the gift I can't even quantify.... I am on the path of the explorer."

16:40 Releasing fear and rejecting other people's fears.



