As she makes her daily rounds through the neighborhood, Amanda Gilbert gets a lot of waves from folks in their cars passing by. She smiles at everyone because as she admits, she doesn’t always see their faces clearly and doesn’t want to offend anyone she might know.

“It’s safer that way,” comments Gilbert. “But the truth is that I’m a friendly person and no matter if I know the people who wave at me or not, I figure it’s always nice to give others a friendly face as they go by.”

Gilbert does a three mile circuit five days a week, but you won’t see her walking or jogging or even cycling around the streets near her home. The Woodinville woman takes her daily exercise in her wheelchair, up one hill and down another, at a pace that often challenges joggers to keep up with her.

She has become a familiar sight, not only to all her neighbors, but also to the workmen who are on the job in the area. “They like to yell encouraging things to me,” says Gilbert, “like, ‘you go girl!’ which always makes me laugh.”

There’s not much that doesn’t make her laugh or respond enthusiastically, yet many people might not have such a positive outlook on life if they were in Gilbert’s position. The 49-year-old woman has multiple sclerosis or MS, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. She was diagnosed 21 years ago after having suffered her second attack.

“I had already had one attack and then I felt better and then I had this second attack where I was really dizzy and my vision was affected,” explains Gilbert. “I think the doctors thought I initially had a brain tumor, but then they concluded it was MS. It was a relief to find out it was MS and then they told me to go away and live well. That was the best advice anyone’s given me and I’ve run with it ever since.”

Gilbert viewed her MS diagnosis as a “non-event,” as she had just had her first baby and she and her husband were getting ready to move from Minneapolis to the Seattle area. Life was full and she was too busy to let the diagnosis occupy her every waking thought. For the next 13 years, the attacks were few and far between and no one ever knew she had the disease. She could do everything she wanted and kept active as a stay-at-home mom, raising her two daughters.

At the 15-year mark, Gilbert had what she considers a significant attack, which left her with some neurological damage and mobility issues. Her mobility continued to decrease over the next several years and she went from using a cane to a walker.

Two and a half years ago, she made the move to a wheelchair full-time. “It was just easier to be in a wheelchair because before I was just getting slower and slower and I had to stop and rest all the time,” says Gilbert. “Now I can keep going and continue to do everything I want to do. I always tell people that my wheelchair gives me much more than it takes away.”

When she first got her light-weight titanium wheelchair, it took 10 days of consistent effort before she was able to make it up her long, uphill driveway, but Gilbert was determined to achieve her goal of being able to leave her home on her own might.

After mastering the driveway, she got to the mailbox and then to the end of her street. She began increasing her distance, working up to the three miles she now does each day.

“Sure it was hard at first,” she says, “but it was a good challenge for me and anyone who knows me knows that I rise to challenges. If you tell me I won’t be able to do something, I will prove you wrong.”

As a result of the exercise she does, Gilbert’s upper body has become strong and she admits that she is in better shape physically now than she was before. Women who see her always tell her how envious they are of her developed arms.

“They say how they work out with weights and never achieve the same results,” adds Gilbert. “I tell them to get in a wheelchair and do what I do and they’ll soon have the arms they want.”

Gilbert is very knowledgeable about MS, having lived with the condition for so many years. She has used her experiences to lead a support group at Evergreen Hospital and motivate others with the disease to view their conditions optimistically. With her wit and humor, she is a natural at making people feel comfortable, though she never sugar coats the facts or allows others to wallow in self pity.

“People sometimes seem to want to act like they’re professionally disabled,” explains Gilbert. “And it’s easy to allow those around you to do everything for you. But they’re enabling you and that’s not good. The more you do, the more you can do. I tell people with MS that it is their job to fight the disease.” She continues, “There’s nothing wrong in feeling sorry for yourself on occasion, as long as you put parameters on it and it only lasts for a short period of time. It’s healthy to vent, but then move on.” Gilbert feels there are so many worse diseases in comparison to MS. She is impressed with what other people have to contend with and views her condition as relatively easy to manage and maintain a high quality of life. Her husband, an airline pilot, and daughters accept the MS, but they don’t dwell on it and they rarely express concerns. “Everyone’s independent in my family,” explains Gilbert. “My husband is gone for periods of time for his work and my daughters are away at college. They all know I can cope and that I’m a strong person. They don’t worry about me because my life is normal. My husband, of course, asks what he can do to help and will do things like make it easier for me to get around and do things in the house on my own, but overall he ignores the disease.” Gilbert explains that people with MS usually have a normal life span and that they don’t die of the disease itself, but rather of various complications.

The progression of the disease is different for everyone. Fortunately for Gilbert, it has been a slow course. Balance and spasticity have been her biggest challenges, but she never knows what will be affected next. “I don’t worry about that,” she adds. “I can’t wait around worrying about what may or may not happen or when it might occur. That’s a waste of my time and energy.” Gilbert is a very social woman with a large network of friends. She is an avid reader, belongs to a book club, plays Bunko, goes to the movies and enjoys live theater performances. “I thought when my kids left for college that I would be bored,” she chuckles. “But my days are so full and I’m having too much fun doing all the things I want to do. Life is grand!”