Kara Goodier
Kara Goodier's Story
On my 17th birthday, I lost sight in my left eye. I thought it was a blurry contact, but as I’m sure you can guess: it wasn’t. I was able to gain my eyesight back with steroids and graduated high school. I then attended Truman State University from 2010-2013 on a full scholarship, where I received a Bachelor in Creative Writing and a minor in Spanish. Through college, I experienced other symptoms (tingling hands and feet, slow speech) that I wrote off as stress or lack of sleep. But then I started losing sight in my eye again, and I knew it was more. I was officially diagnosed with MS in February 2014, but I’ve lived with symptoms since 2009. Having MS has taught me a lot about empathy, and self-care, and being strong enough to find yourself over and over again. It has also made me even more appreciative for the good things in my life—my job as an Executive Editor at Penguin Random House, where I get to use my passions to help connect people through books and stories; my wonderful family who I wish I could see more; my supportive husband, Dennis, and my furry family (my cat Rey and dog Rusty); and for all the other incredible people and opportunities in my life. I love hanging up my hammock, being out on a paddle board, and reading a book--and of course, I ride my bike with some amazing people. I joined Wrestling MS back in 2018, and they have been such an incredible, supportive, and encouraging community to be a part of as I navigate the ever-changing landscape of having MS. Along with being an MS Champion, I serve on the board as Events Planner, planning our two biggest events of the year and helping support all the other little events in between. I hope you can join us for an event sometime! I don’t mean it’s always easy—it’s not—but I do believe having MS has made me a stronger, more empathetic, resiliently-optimistic person.