“You have MS.” Those three words changed everything for Dr Janine Volschenk, but they didn’t stop her from living fully, thanks to resilience, support, and a very wise dog.
South Africa (09 July 2025) – In honour of the 75th anniversary of Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, we meet Dr Janine Volschenk, who shares her journey in living with Multiple Sclerosis to help others see it isn’t a life-altering illness.
The incredible organisation is celebrating 75 years of raising awareness and support for South Africans with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). To honour those South Africans, we are delighted to highlight their inspiring stories as they face the unknown battles with their bodies to live life to the fullest.
The disease is still underrepresented in South Africa, but that is about to change! Multiple Sclerosis South Africa (MSSA) is raising the profile of the disease, offering support for families and raising funds to help make a difference. Their goal is to unite Africa and create a federation for the continent that will empower thousands of people suffering from these health issues.
We hope to highlight many stories in celebration of their 75th anniversary, a diamond jubilee, so to speak. It is a celebration of all the gems who aim to make living with MS a little easier.
What is Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. It interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis.
Every case is proving unique, and the progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving closer to a world free of MS.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. MS is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. Today, over 2,500,000 people around the world have MS.
There is so much more to the disease, which we have shared for World MS Day 2023 here.
Dr Janine Volschenk Shares Her MS Journey and Lessons Learned from Her Dog.
Dr Janine Volschenk is a 38-year-old nature and animal lover who qualified as a Veterinarian in 2011. Growing up along the West Coast, she has always loved an outdoor and active lifestyle. She has spent most of her time working with animals or outdoors, running, cycling on daring mountain trails or hiking and camping.
Trying to keep her hobbies well-rounded, she also retreats indoors at times to tend to her plants, read good books, and kick butt at board games.
For many of her earlier years, she dismissed odd symptoms of dizziness, brain fog and fatigue, writing them off as low blood pressure or just being tired. But then in 2021, she experienced symptoms that couldn’t be explained away.
“Towards the end of 2021, some of my symptoms got worse and I experienced numbness of my hands and a “shock-like” feeling down my spine (Lhermitte sign). I initially thought I might have injured my neck during training and made an appointment with a neurologist. Dr Haug was very thorough and made the unexpected diagnosis after my MRI scan and other tests. I will never forget the day, 15 Feb 2022 – “You have MS”. The only knowledge I had about this was what I read on Google, and that was not good at all.”
It was discovered that Janine had an active lesion, and she was admitted to the hospital for the first time in her life.
“It was a shock, and I went through a whole grieving process, grieving my health, who I was, but more my hopes and dreams of a future that I pictured in a certain way. It is a disease with an uncertain outcome, which makes it a bit scary at times.
My independence is very important to me, and suddenly there is this something that can take it away from me. BUT, it was also a big motivator and eye-opener. My diagnosis changed me, but not necessarily in a bad way. I took a lot of things for granted in life, my health being one of them.”
Despite always living a relatively healthy lifestyle, Janine began prioritising healthy eating, drinking lots of water and maintaining her active lifestyle. Beyond that, she started prioritising rest and relaxation, something we can all do more of. She credits her dog for teaching her six important life lessons.
“It sounds funny, but I learned a lot from my dog”
- Eat well, drink lots of water and stay active;
- Prioritise rest and relaxation;
- Surround yourself with loved ones;
- Be positive and take things in your stride – never give up;
- Stay endlessly curious – be open to learning new things and
- Be KIND, to yourself and others, because you don’t know if they are also fighting a silent battle.
Janine’s beloved dog Saartjie has since passed away, but the lessons she taught will live on forever.
“It is not always easy. Some days can be tough. I think the fatigue is what gets me the most. But I learned to have more patience with myself and to be open and honest about this disease and the battles. I would like to create more awareness around it and other autoimmune diseases.”
Janine’s diagnosis was a realisation that life can change in a moment and that nothing is a given.
“We shouldn’t take anything or anyone for granted. It made me realise we need to live NOW and make the best of every moment. “
As for a lesson worth sharing, Janine has some advice for anyone newly diagnosed with MS or finding themselves on a similar journey.
“To anyone that is newly diagnosed, be kind to yourself. Take the time to grieve and process this and seek professional help if you need to. Reach out to organisations like MSSA (Non and her team goes above and beyond to support MS patients). You might have MS, but MS doesn’t have you!”
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