again. This time David developed a severe constrictive pain around his midriff, like an iron band, and more numbness from the waist down in both legs and feet. He could barely walk and was having trouble breathing. The day unit at the hospital was closed for Christmas so he had to be admitted to the ward for five days of intravenous steroids. Thankfully the staff allowed him out for Christmas lunch. The hospital was very short staffed and he only saw a doctor once for five minutes during the entire stay. This second attack was the signal that David definitely had MS. I started carrying anger inside myself, building up like steam in a pressure cooker. Every so often it would spill over in tears I would battle hard to control. We finally joined the MS Society and the counsellor there reminded me of the Gawler Foundation MS Workshop. I was keen to meet Prof Jelinek, although also a little frightened. I had read his first book published just a few months after his initial MS attack and I was afraid of finding out that his approach hadn't kept him well. But I also felt I needed to get away to release some of the pressure inside myself, so I persuaded David that we should go. My father agreed to stay with our kids. We left Canberra, looking forward to a pleasant holiday in a bush setting. I certainly wasn't expecting the intensely moving and profoundly uplifting experience we had.