My name is Esmeralda Benitez Del Real and at 25, I was living the life I had always dreamed of being a first-year teacher and a mom to two beautiful little girls. Each day was a whirlwind of teaching in my classroom and then completing my mother duties. Life was busy, but it was everything I had worked for.
Then, in late November 2024, things changed. It started with a sharp, aching pain behind my eyes. At first, I thought it was just a sinus infection, but within a week, my vision blurred, and I lost central vision in my left eye. I then knew it was more serious than a sinus infection.
I went to the ER but they sent me home with no answers.
I saw my optometrist, then an ophthalmologist, and they both told me my optic nerves were swollen. The ophthalmologist sent me to the hospital for an MRI because they suspected idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). After two MRIs and a spinal tap, the results were negative, so they admitted me to the hospital for a five-day steroid treatment on suspicion of an autoimmune disorder. The next day they brought in a neuro-ophthalmologist and she decided to test my spinal fluid for MOGAD, NMO, and MS.
Two weeks after being discharged, I was told I tested positive for MOGAD. I had never heard of it before, but it’s now my reality. It’s an autoimmune disease where my body attacks the myelin in my nervous system. There’s no cure, just treatment to prevent another attack. Since then, I’ve been tapering off steroids, dealing with side effects, and recently began a low-dose immunosuppressant to keep it from happening again.
Every day is a balancing act. Teaching, being a mom, being a homemaker and managing my health – it never stops. Some days, I feel strong. Other days, the exhaustion and uncertainty get to me.
But through it all, I remind myself - I am still a mother, still a teacher, still me. MOGAD is just a part of my story, but it will never be the whole thing.
By Esmeralda Benitez Del Real
