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Heroes

What would you write in a love letter to the planet? Here are 19 beautiful examples.

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Unilever and the United Nations

Everyone knows that Paris is the city of love. But the Earth itself rarely gets the romance it deserves.

When you think about it, that's kinda messed up. Our home planet does so many amazing and selfless things for us. And what do we do in return? At best, we call it beautiful; at worst, we neglect and abuse it.

That ain't cool.



All photos by Thom Dunn/Upworthy.

But an art installation at Paris's Petit Palais aims to shower our planet with the love that it deserves.

The installation was created as part of the two-day Earth to Paris summit and coincided with the COP21 Climate Conference also going on in Paris.Activists and artists from all across the world were invited to share their messages of hope, love, and adoration for our dear Mother Earth. (and, by extension, the global leaders discussing climate action at COP21)

Here are some of our favorite letters to the Earth — in many languages, shapes, and sizes.

1.

"Earth, let's finally live together, it's time to clean up the trash. I love you." (Spanish)

2.

"Leaders, please have heart and think of humanity, survival and planet. It's time to act now or never!!"

3 and 4.


"Dear Global Leaders, Remember that the only reason you are all still alive is that my ecosystems allow you to. My ecosystems provide you all the service you need for your survival — food, water, air, raw materials, etc. If you do not stop the destruction you are causing, I will one day soon be unable to provide for you. You better get your act right or otherwise prepare to become fossils, too." (from Bahrain)

5.

"Dear Earth, I am you and you are me. What would I be without you? I love you!" (German)

6 and 7.

"Dear Mother Earth, I've known you my whole life. You've always know what I needed. You've given unselfishly to me and I've only taken. Taken and taken and taken — much more than my share. I recently realized how much I hurt you — all those years. I want to give it back and all of it. Mother Nature, I love you and I hope you forgive me."

8.

"Heart Beat of the Earth, Beat through me, to give me courage, to me life."

9 and 10.

"I love you Mother Earth because you nurse me and I nurse you when I die. That is fricking awesome. I love you."

11.

"Dear Planet Earth, It's so strange to express my feelings for you. As if I could express my feelings for everything I have ever known, ever been, and ever experienced. i come from you, am of you, and will return to you. Your carbon and water and molecule constitute me. Your plants sustain me, and your physics rule my world. You are big and beautiful and complex, and represent more to me than I could ever express."

12, 13, and 14.

"Earth, I love you because you are alive and blue." (Italian)

15.

"The best land we have — we do more than live on it. It is love, though selfish love — but for the common good." (Danish)

16 and 17.

"Dear Mother Earth, we are so incredibly grateful to you and appreciate all that you bring to us. You are so strong. Now it is our turn to be strong, and to stand up for you. You are unique, you are amazing, you are wonderful! Lots of love." (Swedish)

18.

"Dear Mother, I felt orphan for a long time, how come I forgot that I was your daughter? To touch your body, love my relatives and learn to solve our human "problems." (opportunities) is what heals me and detoxify us...preventing us to become cancerous cells. I want to be part of the cure rather than the disease. Pachamama, I know all this suffering and all to come are necessary because we are purifying ourselves, going from our egos to the eco, the concept of being one, of being you, and discovering that you are ... also the human nature. After 24 years of life is is pretty clear for me that I am here for you. My work here will be your work and I want to be your instrument. I promise to be a good daughter!"

19. And finally, from Morgan Freeman, on behalf of all of us:

You don't want to miss this.

What would you write?

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Three women, three MS journeys: How multiple sclerosis looks different for everyone

Gina, Nathalie and Helga share their reactions to being diagnosed with MS and how they stay informed and positive in the face of ever-changing symptoms.

Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga, Nathalie and Gina all have MS, and their experiences show how differently the disease can manifest.

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It’s been 155 years since neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the first lecture on a mysterious progressive illness he called “multiple sclerosis.” Since then, we’ve learned a lot. We know MS causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, including damaging the brain and spinal cord. Resulting symptoms can be debilitating and include fatigue, blurred vision, memory problems and weakness. Huge advancements in our understanding of MS and its underlying causes, as well as treatment advances, have been made in the past few decades, but MS remains a complex and unpredictable reality for the 2.8 million+ people diagnosed around the world.

Ironically, the only real constant for people living with MS is change. There’s no set pattern or standard progression of the disease, so each person’s experience is unique. Some people with MS have mild symptoms that worsen slowly but sometimes improve, while others can have severe symptoms that drastically alter their daily lives.

All people with MS share some things in common, however, such as the need to stay informed on the ever-evolving research, find various lines of support and try to remain hopeful as they continue living with the disease.

To better understand what navigating life with MS really looks like, three women shared their MS stories with us. Their journeys demonstrate how MS can look different for different people and interestingly, how the language used to talk about the disease can greatly impact how people understand their realities.

woman with horse, woman riding horseGina loves riding her horse, Benita.Courtesy of Sanofi

Gina—Hamburg, Germany (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2017)

When her youngest son was 4 months old, Gina started having problems with her eye. She’d soon learn she was experiencing optic neuritis—her first symptom of MS.

“Immediately after the diagnosis, I looked up facts on MS because I didn’t know anything about it,” Gina says. “And as soon as I knew what could really happen with this disease, I actually got scared.”

As her family’s primary income provider, she worried about how MS would impact her ability to work as a writer and editor. Her family was afraid she was going to end up in a wheelchair. However, for now, Gina’s MS is managed well enough that she still works full-time and is able to be active.

“When I tell somebody that I have MS, they often don't believe me the first time because I don't fulfill any stereotypes,” she says.

Overwhelmed by negative perspectives on living with MS, Gina sought support in the online MS community, which she found to be much more positive.

“I think it’s important to use as many positive words as you can when talking about MS.” It’s important to be realistic while also conveying hope, she says. “MS is an insidious disease that can cause many bad symptoms…that can be frightening, and you can't gloss over it, either.”

To give back to the online community that helped her so much, Gina started a blog to share her story and help others trying to learn about their diagnosis.

Though she deals with fatigue and cognitive dysfunction sometimes, Gina stays active swimming, biking, riding horses and playing with her sons, who are now 11 and 6.

Cognitive dysfunction is common in MS, with over half of people affected. It can impact memory, attention, planning, and word-finding. As with many aspects of MS, some people experience mild changes, while others face more challenges.

Gina says that while there’s still a lot of education about MS needed, she feels positive about the future of MS because there’s so much research being done.

woman in wheelchair holding medal, woman rowingNathalie is an award-winning rower with multiple international titles.Courtesy of Sanofi

Nathalie — Pennes Mirabeau, France (diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2002)

Nathalie was a teenager and a competitive athlete when she noticed her first symptoms of MS, but it would take four years of “limbo” before she was diagnosed.

“Ultimately, the diagnosis was more of a relief, than a shock,” she says. “Because when you have signs and you don’t know why, it’s worse than knowing, in the end, what you have.”

However, learning more about the disease—and the realities of disease progression—scared her.

“That glimpse of the future was direct and traumatic,” she says. Her neurologist explained that the disease evolves differently for everyone, and her situation might end up being serious or very mild. So, she decided to stop comparing herself to others with MS.

She said to herself, “We’ll see what happens, and you’ll manage it bit by bit.”

By 2005, Nathalie’s MS had progressed to the point of needing a wheelchair. However, that has not dampened her competitive spirit.

Nathalie began her international rowing career in 2009 and has won multiple world titles, including two Paralympic medals—silver in London and bronze in Tokyo. Now, at 42, she still trains 11 times a week. Fatigue can be a problem, and sometimes hard workouts leave her with muscle stiffness and shaking, but she credits her ongoing sports career for helping her feel in tune with her body’s signals.

“Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body, letting my body guide when I need to stop and take breaks,” she says.

Nathalie explains that she used to only look backwards because of the initial shock of her diagnosis. In time, she stopped thinking about what she couldn’t do anymore and focused on her future. She now lives in the following mindset: “Even when doors close, don’t miss out on those that open.” Instead of focusing on what she can’t do, she focuses on the opportunities she still has. Right now, this includes her training for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, where she will compete for another rowing medal.

“I only go forward,” she says. “Well, I try, anyway…It’s easy to say, it’s not always easy to do. But that’s what I try to do.”

woman exiting water after swimming, woman with great daneHelga's Great Dane has become a helpful and beloved companion.Courtesy of Sanofi

Helga—Johannesburg, South Africa (diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis in 2010)

When Helga first started having balance issues and numbness in her feet, she chalked it up to her training as a runner. But when the numbness moved to her face, she knew something was wrong. She never guessed it was MS.

“When I was diagnosed, I felt completely overwhelmed and clueless,” Helga says. “I felt that I had nowhere near enough information. I did not know anything about the disease…I had no idea that it was going to be a process of continually monitoring and adjusting your lifestyle.”

In the beginning, Helga’s symptoms developed slowly, and she didn’t appear ill to others. She was even able to run for a few years after her diagnosis, but she couldn’t do marathons anymore, and she began to fall frequently due to balance issues and right-foot dragging. Then her cognition issues became more problematic, especially in her job as a trainer in a printing company.

“My executive function, decision-making and short-term memory were affected to the point that I was eventually medically unfit for work,” she says. She stopped working in 2017.

However, she didn’t stop living life. Even though she could no longer run, she continued to swim competitively. She got a Great Dane puppy and trained him as a service dog to help her walk. She also serves as vice chair of the patient support organization Multiple Sclerosis South Africa, and she advises others who have been diagnosed to join a patient advocacy group as soon as possible to get reliable information and meet others with MS.

Helga says she is “hopeful” about the future of MS. “I must say that I am so grateful that we have all the new medications available, because my life would not be the same if it wasn't for that,” she adds.

Part of how she manages her MS is by looking at the positives.

“If I could tell the world one thing about MS, it would be that MS is an incurable disease of the nervous system, but it's also the greatest teacher of valuing your health, family, friends, and managing change in your life,” she says. “My life is diversified in a way that I never, ever thought it would, and MS has been honestly the greatest teacher.”

Each MS journey is unique – with each person impacted experiencing different struggles, successes, and feelings as they manage this unpredictable disease. But the common thread is clear – there is a critical need for information, support, and hope. We are proud to participate in World MS Day and share these incredible stories of living life while living with MS. To learn more about MS, go to https://www.sanofi.com/why-words-really-matter-when-it-comes-to-multiple-sclerosis.

MAT-GLB-2301642-v1.0-05/2023

This article was sponsored by Sanofi. Participants were compensated when applicable.

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