By Zane Ewton
Communications Staff
Although Brooklyn-born Deborah Lynn Lovell has Multiple Sclerosis (MS), it took her years to admit it. She was in denial when she first heard the diagnosis in 2002.
At the time, Lovell was in the ministry program at the Word Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, Mich. Her denial was such that she didn’t take the medications prescribed by her doctor. As the symptoms took over her ability to function normally, her body began to break down and she moved back with her mother in Georgia.
Her mission in life now is to help people avoid making the same mistakes. She wrote a book — “No More MS,” published in 2007 — that chronicled her pain, deliverance and success in combating the disease.
Her goal, she says, is to “be a voice for those with MS that cannot speak for themselves. I also want to do whatever is possible to educate health-care providers on how to best serve patients with MS.”
Lovell has experience working in home and hospice care, with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Hospice Atlanta, so she is familiar with the emotions involved in being diagnosed with a life-changing disease.
With the publication of her book, Lovell has taken advantage of opportunities to share her perspective. In 2006, she became an educational ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA). She appeared on the Trinity Broadcast Network broadcast “Joy in Our Town With Rachel Miller” and was featured in the WOW Series of Exceptional Women at http://theexceptionalwoman.com/sorandom/deborahlovell/.
She is now following another dream — earning a college degree. She enrolled in the Communications program at Grand Canyon University.
“It’s been my heart’s desire to receive a degree from college,” she says. “God answered my prayer and sent GCU to me, and I accepted.”
Lovell continues to suffer from mild to severe MS symptoms, but she refuses to let it affect her studies.
“It has its challenges and there are days I may not be able to contribute 100 percent because my body has had so many issues,” she says. “But for the most part, I complete my coursework throughout the week, so if an episode of MS is a little stronger than usual, I am in a good position to not be left behind in class.”
Lovell credits God, family, friends and the nursing assistants who have helped her to see the rewards of her life.
“I’ve had a miraculous support system,” she says, “with people full of character, integrity, honor and respect. GCU has been the icing on the cake as a college, with a Christian foundation that gives students a sense of dignity, wisdom and grace.”
Lovell’s book is available at www.nomoremsbook.com.
Contact Zane Ewton at 639.7086 or [email protected].
