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People on SNAP aren't who you think. Case in point, this hard-working couple.

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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Gideon and Lina Ramirez are college-educated, employed parents of three kids. They’re also living on food stamps.

“We’re a happy family of five,” says Lina. She works part-time from home as a graphics designer while Gideon is in his last year at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia.

“He’s training to be an emergency room doctor,” says Lina proudly. “If anyone can do it, it’s him. He’s probably the most calm and cool-headed person on the planet.”


The pair met by chance while living in California. “We just kind of bumped into each other in the neighborhood,” says Lina.

The two began spending more time together, until life intervened and they had to part ways. However, not long after, Gideon got into Brigham Young, and they found themselves back in the same state again rekindling their romance. Soon they were married, and shortly after that, their first daughter, Eugenia, was born.

[rebelmouse-image 19397783 dam="1" original_size="700x543" caption="Photo via Hannah Busing/Unsplash." expand=1]Photo via Hannah Busing/Unsplash.

“When my first one came, I could still do full-time,” says Lina. “I was living in Utah with family, and my mother and father were kind enough to really help out.”

But then their son, Sebastian, was born around the same time that Gideon got into medical school, and their situation became exponentially more difficult.

Gideon was offered a spot at Thomas Jefferson University, so the family relocated. “When we moved to Philadelphia, I didn’t have any friends or family there,” says Lina. “It was a lot harder to find childcare for two, so I decided to work part-time from home.”

But with two kids, a part-time job, and a husband in medical school, Lina’s life began to get hectic.

Gideon’s full schedule of classes, training, and studying made it impossible for him to maintain a job. Lina found herself caring for two children and trying to support her family on a part-time salary. Time was short and money was tight. “If I had a way to clone myself, then we would have been fine,” she jokes. “But I just didn’t have enough hours in a day.”

Lina with her baby daughter. Photo via Lina Ramirez.

After their third child, Margot, was born, the Ramirezes were forced to admit that they needed help.

Lina realized that she wasn’t going to be able to raise their three children, maintain their household, and sustain five people financially. So the family applied for food assistance.

At first, Lina was hesitant. “I was afraid of what people might think. I was afraid of what I would think [of] myself,” she says. “I was just kind of embarrassed.”

Eventually, she realized that food assistance was a perfectly respectable solution — and the best way to allow Gideon to finish medical school on schedule and go back to working full-time. “Gideon was like, ‘you know, we really can’t do it on our own,’” says Lina. “And it was only for a little bit, because he’s almost done with school. So that’s when we decided.”

They applied to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and their case was approved and they were granted a food assistance card.

[rebelmouse-image 19397785 dam="1" original_size="256x160" caption="Photo via Wikimedia." expand=1]Photo via Wikimedia.

Now, Lina has time to raise her kids as best she can — which includes cooking with the groceries she buys with her SNAP benefits.

“Margot and I go grocery shopping once a week,” Lina says. “I have so many bags because I make everything from scratch.” Her cooking includes a combination of her native Hispanic food and her husband’s Hawaiian fare. SNAP benefits allow her to purchase whole foods and ingredients.

“Being on these food stamps gives me the time to be able to know what I’m feeding my children.”

It also helps her be a better mom for her kids. “It’s really brought balance to the house,” Lina says. “They need me! They’re so little, they’re my priority. I still work part-time and try to squeeze in my adult life while they’re sleeping. But it’s less stressful.”

Lina’s no longer embarrassed about using food stamps — and she is adamant that no one else should be either.

[rebelmouse-image 19397786 dam="1" original_size="541x250" caption="Photo via SNAP." expand=1]Photo via SNAP.

“When you meet with your caseworker, they realize that you’re in need. They’re not judging you,” she says.

Lina knows that there’s still a stigma associated with people who use food stamps, but it doesn’t concern her. “They’re not on there because they’re lazy. They’re on there because they’re in need.”

Food stamps allow Lina to care for her children while Gideon finishes his education. The program isn’t holding them back — it’s helping them get ahead.

Gideon is almost done with medical school, and the family will move again when he gets his hospital assignment in March. Lina’s biggest challenge is no longer struggling to feed her kids — it’s helping them get ready for the future. Right now she’s working on explaining their upcoming move to Eugenia, who will be starting kindergarten next fall.

"I say to her, 'Honey, there’s a chance that we might not be here [in Philadelphia], but you’ll get to meet new friends and go somewhere new,'" says Lina. “And she’s just like, ‘Okay, in that case I wanna move to Disney World!’”

Though Eugenia’s plans might be a little overly optimistic, the Ramirezes are undeniably looking forward to a bright, independent future.

“I think everyone who goes onto the food stamp program is hoping for their situation to change, and is working toward that,” says Lina. “We just need a little bit of help to get us past that challenge.”

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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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