“How many of you were told by your neurologist, ‘Your MRI is stable,’ but you’re like, ‘I’m feeling worse’?” Dr.

Jakai Nolan McEwen (@jakthedoc) asked that question at last year’s Wellness Week(end), and almost every hand in the room went up. Because if you’re living with MS, you’ve probably had that exact moment where your body is telling you something is wrong and your scans are saying everything’s fine. She also said something that gave a lot of women in the room hope: “If there was a time to get diagnosed with MS, now’s the time, because our medications are so good.” The research is catching up. The awareness is catching up. And the conversations happening in rooms like this are part of how we make sure you’re not left behind while it does. And then Dr. Mima Akinsanya broke down why that disconnect between your MRI and your body happens in a way that finally made it make sense. She explained that about 30% to 40% of the progression we see in MS isn’t coming from relapses at all. It’s coming from something called PIRA, progression independent of relapse activity, also known as smoldering MS. She compared it to fire. A relapse is like lighting a match and watching a big flame cause damage quickly. Smoldering MS is a low, slow burn. It takes longer to see the damage, but the damage is still being done. Both are inflammation, but one shows up loud on an MRI and the other doesn’t, which is why your doctor says everything looks stable while you’re sitting there knowing something is different. This is what happens at Wellness Week(end). You don’t just learn about your condition, you finally get the language to explain what you’ve been feeling to the people who need to hear it. We still have tickets left for Wellness Week(end) 2026, October 30 through November 1 at the JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead. Don’t wait on this one. Comment TICKET and we’ll send you the link. #WeAreILLMatic #WellnessWeekend2026 #MultipleSclerosis #SmolderingMS #BlackWomenWithMS