At 29 years old, Emirati MS Ambassador Mariam Alqubaisi has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for more than a decade. First diagnosed at just 17, she has transformed her personal journey with the condition into a powerful story of resilience, advocacy, and empowerment—representing the MS community on global stages, including the United Nations in New York.
Mariam’s story begins in 2013, during her high school years. “I was 17 years old when I was first diagnosed with MS,” she recalls. “During my high school sports day, I felt something was wrong. My feet felt heavy, I was dragging them, and my balance was off.” At the time, Mariam brushed it off as exhaustion, but the symptoms continued to trouble her. Soon after graduating, she traveled to the UK for a holiday. One morning, she woke up unable to move. Alarmed, she was rushed to the emergency room where doctors began a series of tests.
The road to an accurate diagnosis was not straightforward. “It took a few years to receive the correct diagnosis since there are four different types of MS,” Mariam explains. “Once I was diagnosed, I was given the appropriate medication. That was the beginning of my journey with MS.”
Receiving the diagnosis at such a young age was overwhelming. With little accurate knowledge available about MS at the time, Mariam and her family struggled to understand what her future might look like.
Before her own experience, Mariam had only encountered MS briefly in a high school sociology book. “It contained only very basic information,” she recalls. “There was nothing about how MS could impact mental health, for example, so I didn’t know what to expect.”
Over time, Mariam began to learn that mental health was as important as physical health in managing the condition. “The most important advice I can give is that mental health plays a major role in managing your health and your condition,” she says. For Mariam, living with MS has meant building a life that balances treatments, lifestyle choices, and positivity. “Eating healthy and exercising are essential for maintaining your mobility,” she emphasizes. “Never stop doing what you love and always surround yourself with positivity. Family and friends can also play a significant role in your well-being.”
Despite the challenges, Mariam has never allowed MS to limit her dreams. As her condition progressed, she began using a wheelchair, but she continues to travel widely and embrace opportunities that come her way. “I don’t allow MS to stop me—I defy it by traveling everywhere I can manage,” she says with determination.
Mariam has also become a passionate advocate for accessibility and mental health. She strongly believes that these are essential pillars of the MS journey and has dedicated herself to raising awareness. In June 2025, she represented the MS community on the world stage at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Speaking at the COSP18 side event Empowering Inclusive Development through Disability-Inclusive Action and Partnership, she shared her journey in a talk titled A Story of Self-Driven Empowerment. Her message of inclusion, accessibility, and the strength of lived experience resonated with audiences worldwide.
Mariam is also deeply supportive of local initiatives by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) as an MS Ambassador. “I have been living with MS for 11 years, and I still meet people who do not know what it is.”
She sees community-driven efforts are essential to building understanding and support for people living with MS. “NMSS has done so much for the community,” Mariam says. “I’m very grateful for the work they’ve accomplished since their inception. I believe we need more platforms to spread awareness and build a connected community. One of the important initiatives that she has taken part is the Universal Design for Inclusion program which focuses on raising awareness among the Youth and developing universal design solutions for challenges faced by people with MS and other chronic conditions. She joined the program to deliver first-hand accounts of the challenges a person with MS can face when the world is not designed with them in mind, and advocated through the program for co-creating solutions that are built with people of determination.
Mariam’s story is one of courage, advocacy, and positivity. She continues to push for a future where people with MS are understood, supported, and empowered to live life on their own terms.
