She spent nearly 20 years believing she had MS. Then her diagnosis changed.

October 31, 2026 / 8:00 AM EDT / CBS News

DeMonica Amerson's diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2001 had been a shock. No one in her family had ever had the autoimmune condition, and it had been difficult to diagnose. Doctors had first thought she had optic neuritis because her symptoms were in her eyes. Then they suspected lupus. After a spinal tap, she was diagnosed with MS.

At the time, Amerson had never heard about the condition. She had just graduated from college and expected to be in the prime of her life. Instead, she had to give herself daily shots to treat the condition.

"I was mad, I was hurt, I was nervous, confused, all the things," said Amerson.

But over the years, her perspective changed. As MS treatment evolved, she moved from daily shots to a monthly infusion. A port was placed in her chest to make the medication easier to deliver. She engaged in advocacy and fundraising through the MS National Foundation. She got married and welcomed two daughters, and worked as a school administrator. Even as her condition threw curveballs, including the occasional relapse, she "just kept going." Amerson attributed those relapses to the progressive…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/