San Antonio, TX

Gina Litwin began experiencing numbness in her arm when she was 21 years old. Dismissing it as something minor, especially after many doctors not being able to give her a diagnosis, she continued on with life as normal. Then, while walking home from work in 2004, she felt a twisting pain in her leg. After seeing another doctor and getting an MRI, Gina was diagnosed with secondary-progressive MS. Faced with a disease of which she wasn’t yet familiar and a prognosis that she would be bound to a wheelchair, Gina decided to take the challenge head-on. “With a lot of determination and faith, I would work at myself,” says Gina. “I focused on my physical and emotional well-being.” Today, Gina can walk four miles straight unassisted, a challenge she has accomplished on top of taking care of her three children, teaching at church and volunteering every weekend in with the church’s children’s ministry. Nearly 10 years after her diagnosis, Gina is ready to accomplish another goal: going back to college. Gina is pursuing a liberal arts degree in Family and Human Development. Through her own experiences with MS, Gina is passionate about helping others through their own challenging times. “I initially thought that MS had ruined my life, however what I found out in all of these years is that MS has given me hope,” she said. “MS has taught me strength and has given me a reason to have a voice and let other people know that they are not alone. It isn’t over until it is over.”