How fitness training helped me fight my MS diagnosis

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord—and results in long-term nerve damage. In this video, Gloribel shares her inspiring diagnosis story and how fitness training has helped her to fight MS.

Transcript

00:00

I've been training since I was 16 years old. I thought I was training for my fitness competitions, but I was actually training to fight MS.

00:09

I'm a fitness competitor. I get judged by the way that I look, the muscle definition and the shape of my body.

00:16

Two years ago, I was at the gym. After my work on Sunday, my toes were numb. Following day, my legs went numb.

00:22

I was getting ready for a competition, so thought it was completely normal. Me and my boyfriend said, let's go for a walk with the dog.

00:29

He's only 17 pounds, and I barely could handle him. My mom, my stepfather, and my boyfriend were having breakfast, and I said to them, well,

00:36

we have a problem. I'm completely numb from my chest to my toes. And I was like, going to the hospital, it's a waste of time, because I'm not in pain.

00:43

I don't look sick. So what are they going to do? I got there on a Sunday. I didn't leave until Friday night. They were like, you have to call the Yale hospital.

00:51

You have to make an appointment. I was like, what's going on? You're going to send me home tomorrow with what? What is it that I have?

00:57

And she said, it's multiple sclerosis. I'm looking at this doctor, and I'm like, nah, she's crazy. Like, I'm good. Like, I've been taking care of myself

01:04

since I was 16 years old. They took the wrong files. I'm not sick. This is not happening to me. I was in denial. What am I supposed to do?

01:12

I'm a trainer. I'm supposed to motivate people and help people. And now, I'm stuck. And I was upset at God.

01:18

I was upset at life. And I was like, why me? So I started becoming this person that it wasn't me. I went to the doctor, and she said to me,

01:26

you know, Gloribel, we're trying to make you better to feel better. But you have to change mentally. I took it personal. And I said, you know what?

01:32

I'm going to prove her wrong. So in November of last year, me and my stepfather said, let's do a show. This new category came out.

01:40

I think I'm going to kill this. Let's do it. I want to put an example to the world that, no matter what you have going on in your life, MS or not MS

01:47

or dealing with anything-- you can do it. And I competed. I was 12 weeks of preparation. And I competed last year in November, came in second place.

01:55

I couldn't ask for anything else, or better. It felt it was me. She told me, you have MS. MS doesn't have you.

02:02

And MS cannot stop you from what you want to do. I'm back. Gloribel is back. The old Gloribel is back.