Shauna Fischer is a 33 year old mother of three.

So life is pretty unpredictable, but nothing could have prepared Shauna for last summer.

"It was an eye twitch in my left eye," explains Shauna, "It turned very painful. When I would turn my eye or turn my head, it felt like a stabbing pain in my left eye. That's when I knew something was not right."

Shauna made a doctor's appointment. It was one she would never forget.

"That was June 6, 2007. My life changed on that day."

Shauna was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and told she had 11 lesions on her brain.

"Two months later I went to an MS specialist, who then dissected the same MRI and said, 'You don't have 11 lesions, you have 47 lesions on your brain!' I can't even tell you... it was shocking. It was devastating. I just thought, 'I can't believe this is happening.'"

Shauna got on an MS medication right away and prepared to return for a six month follow up. The results were unexpected!

"I can't even say it without smiling!" she says with a wide grin, "He told me that half my lesion load was gone and the bigger lesions that were on my brain shrunk 50% in size!"

"We're looking at an MRI examination of Shauna's brain," explains Dr. Christopher Luzzio, a UW neurologist, as he pulls up images on a computer screen.

"I'm getting two scans for comparison. You can see in the June film that there are large MS plaques that developed here and here and some smaller ones here," he says as he points to what looks like white dots on the screen.

"These are ugly looking lesions actually," says Dr. Luzzio, "Lesions such as this can affect many of the motor systems; a whole side of the body could be weak from a lesion like this one."

Doctors read MRI results differently. Dr. Luzzio is Shauna's new neurologist and he says while MRI results can vary widely from month to month, Shauna's case is still very successful.

"Here we see a significant size reduction in these lesions and that's encouraging," comments Dr. Luzzio while examining another screen.

Even more important, according to Luzzio, is the view from the top of Shauna's head.

"That is an area of significant active inflammation and if you look six months later it's gone," he says, "That means this area is beginning to heal."

Shauna's successful news came the day after Christmas of last year. It was the best gift Shauna's family could have received.

"My mother is very religious and she asked them [the neurologists], 'Is this a miracle?'" recalls Shauna, "And he looked at us and I'll never forget it. He said, 'It's miraculous!'"

Seven months later... Shauna's outlook on life is very different.

"Last week I was jumping on a trampoline with my kids," she says with a smile, "We go out running and my kids will say, 'Mom, why are we running?' And I say, 'Because we can!'"

Her message is that of hope.

Take a walk through her home, and you'll see little reminders of the word from which she draws her strength.

"Here's my other one, right when you come in the front door," she says as she references a gold sparkly wall hanging that reads HOPE. "I have it hanging there so everyone can see it."

"I don't look at the future," Shauna explains as she discusses the uncertainly of her future, "I know that MS is very unpredictable and anything can change, but when you feel this good and you've got good results, you have to run with it!"

"Every day I just thank God," she says as she nods her head and smile, "I'm so happy. I don't take anything for granted."

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Shauna's story is so successful that the manufacturer of the drug she currently takes has asked her to join their national speaking tour!

She's one of only nine in the country to be selected.

Shauna heads to Kansas City for training in September.

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What do you think about this MS series? To join in the discussion, check out Leigh's latest blog:
http://www.nbc15.com/blogs/leighmills/24279614.html

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If you're dealing with the devastating diagnosis of MS and are looking for support, different groups meet all over the state. For more information, log on to www.wisms.org or call 1-800-242-3358.

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If you're looking for a way to help the 10,000 Wisconsinites battling MS, sign up for the MS 150 Bike Tour! There is a link on our homepage, www.nbc15.com.

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Our series concludes next Thursday at 10pm as we profile a man on a mission to help end the devastating effects of the disease.