In our fifth episode, In Sickness & In Health: When Loved Ones Become Caregivers, Andrea, a MOG-AD patient advocate and James, her husband and caregiver speak candidly about the ups and downs of adjusting to life after Andrea’s diagnosis and subsequent vision loss. They share how they've worked together to restore Andrea’s independence, the life changing impact of working with a guide dog and how adjusting to their new normal has strengthened their relationship. Andrea describes how her life was before getting sick and in which ways their lives change with a diagnosis. And James explains how was it for him to go through the diagnosis and changes with Andrea. James also discusses how they've sought out support for him as a partner and caregiver. Andrea and James reveal when there have been times where the tables turned and Andrea was caring for James. Andrea and James explain how life has been having a guide dog as part of their daily lives. Andrea and James provide insights and advice for those faced with a diagnosis such as MOG or NMOSD. Recommended resources available: The Sumaira Foundation: https://www.sumairafoundation.org/tsf-canada-welcome-jennifer/ The MOG project: https://mogproject.org/ The Guthy-Jackson Foundation: https://guthyjacksonfoundation.org/ The MS Society of Canada: https://mssociety.ca/ Fighting Blindness Canada:https://www.fightingblindness.ca/ About our Guests: Andrea Mitchell has had a relapsing form of MOG-AD since October 2011. It took 2 years for her to find the right diagnosis and due to a lack of aggressive treatment, she lost sight in both of her eyes. MOG-AD has also affected her hearing and she often suffers from daily pain all over her body and continually fights off fatigue. She has a very loving and supportive husband named James whois passionate about advocacy in the caregiver role. They have a loving retired guide dog (Newcastle) and a beautiful yellow lab (Indy) who has served as Andrea’s new guide dog since October 2021. Her passion is to educate, empower, promote advocacy and support others dealing with this rare condition. She enjoys helping those who are newly blind find resources for gaining their independence. As an Executive Board Member for The MOG Project, she assists in providing educational materials, conducts support groups and connects with others through social media and email inquiries. Please visit https://www.NMOSD.ca/ for more information on what NMOSD is, how it affects the body, tips for daily life and how to discuss it with your doctor. The podcast is intended exclusively for the residents of Canada and is subject to all applicable laws and regulations therein. The podcast is intended for informational, personal and non-commercial purposes only. Persons having any specific questions, regarding diagnosis or treatment, are advised to contact their healthcare provider. This podcast was made possible with support from Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease. For further information about your medical condition, please talk to your healthcare professional. All rights reserved. Alexion Pharma Canada Corp. For more NMOSD information and resources, please visit https://nmosd.ca/