Maz Gould, now 28, was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in August 2025 after waking up with a tingling sensation down her neck. The diagnosis came as both a relief and a terror, as she had watched her mother suffer from the same condition since childhood.
First Symptoms and Diagnosis Journey
About a year before her diagnosis, Gould woke up with a tingling sensation down the back of her neck and across her shoulder. She assumed it was a pulled muscle and it resolved within a week. Months later, after a work trip, she experienced an overwhelming numbing sensation down her entire left side. Her skin felt like it was burning during showers, she lost strength in her arms, and suffered from fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and a feeling of heaviness.
Her fiancé persuaded her to see a GP, who examined her reflexes and muscle strength. When asked about family history, Gould mentioned her mother had MS, but the GP did not seem overly concerned. After two weeks, the symptoms subsided, but the GP referred her for an MRI of her brain and spine. The next day, she received a text to arrange a telephone appointment with her GP, who told her there was 'an anomaly in her brain.' Two weeks later, a consultant confirmed the diagnosis: relapsing-remitting MS, with lesions on her brain and spine.
Family History and Impact
Gould's mother was diagnosed with MS in 1999. The MS Society states that having a parent with MS gives a 1.5% chance of developing the disease, yet Gould received her diagnosis at almost the exact same age as her mother. Her mother suffered severe relapses lasting up to two weeks, losing speech and mobility, experiencing pins and needles, and struggling with memory loss. Once, when Gould was eight, her mother collapsed and lost function in both legs, dragging herself across the landing to call for help. Her mother eventually had to use a walking stick and give up work, leaving her father to work overtime to support the family of five.
After nine years, Gould's mother is now in remission, having learned to manage the disease without miracle medication. When Gould told her mother about the diagnosis, she broke down and blamed herself. 'It was incredibly painful to hear the strongest woman I know speak that way about something that was completely beyond her control,' Gould said.
Treatment and Current Status
Gould began treatment five months after her first GP visit. She opted for Ofatumumab, a disease-modifying therapy administered as a monthly self-injection at home. Since starting treatment, her MS has stabilised with no relapses or new symptoms. She is mostly able to live normally, though some days she struggles to string a sentence together, feels heavy as cement, or experiences numbness.
Gould views her diagnosis as both a curse and a blessing. Her mother is now overly cautious, worried about her over-exerting herself, but has been supportive throughout. 'Ultimately, my mum is a role model to me – and a living example that life doesn’t have to stop at a few lesions,' Gould concluded.
