After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the disease continued to progress. I was spiraling downhill. I got to the point where I just existed. Nothing made me feel better. I lost interest in doing anything, and had no motivation. My girls, being my only reason to live, depended on me even if I wasn’t one-hundred percent there physically or mentally. MS was ruining my life and my marriage. I was losing the battle. If I can’t win this battle, how on earth am I supposed to win the war? I must get out of this depressive state of mind for my family. I couldn’t let this disease win. Contemplating life, I finally started leaning on God after dealing with this debilitating disease for so many years.
Mary Ann Lacaria-Cincinnati was born in Clarksburg, WV in 1963. Her parents are Sam Lacaria and the (Late) Mary Lacaria. She graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1981. After high school, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology in 1985 at West Virginia University. Later, she received her Master’s in Speech/Language Pathology. Currently, she is divorced, has two children, and is dealing with Multiple Sclerosis since the birth of her first daughter in 1996. She is now in assistive living and fighting hard against Multiple Sclerosis.