Amber Paisley Topp

'Carpe Diem' or 'seize the day' has always been Amber Paisley-Topp's motto. She says it's amazing what happens in life while you're living it. Life had always been an adventure for Amber. Snow skiing, waterskiing, triathlons, travelling, hiking the Milford Sound and kayaking in New Zealand, where she met her husband, were all just a part of her life.

In 2000, Amber was with her three children, aged from three months to four years old, when her Neurologist gave her the news that she had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This would have been devastating news for some people but for Amber it came as a welcome relief as she had thought there was something 'really' wrong with her. With the onset of vision, memory and mobility problems, Amber had believed she had a brain tumour, together with early cataracts or macular degeneration. She hadn't even realised she had been using her baby's pram as a walking frame

Amber's husband calls her "the eternal optimist" because she always believes everything will be fine. After her diagnosis, Amber gathered together all the information she could about MS, leapt in and got on with the job. She did the same when she was told her youngest child had Down Syndrome. The emotions of fear, anger, denial, loss and depression have not found a place to reside in her.

Amber says "MS is only a part of who I am but, because of it, I smile more and continue to seize the day. I have learned to manage myself first and then rein in the chaos around me. I would be lost without my diary, my lists and my husband who keeps me grounded." Amber has also seized the opportunity to become an MS Ambassador to raise the awareness of MS and spread a greater understanding of the disease in her local community, in the stunning Eurobodalla region of the south coast of NSW.