A MUM with multiple sclerosis is helping to fight the stigma against the condition.

Rachel Reeves, from Braintree, was diagnosed with MS when she was 35.

She said she has had experiences of people mistreating her because of her condition.

Mrs Reeves, 46, said: “There have been quite a few incidences of strangers being rude to me because of my MS symptoms.

"Once, I was out shopping with my daughter and I fell onto a clothes rack.

"Another customer thought I was drunk, and she said as much very loudly.

"She didn’t react when I tried to explain I had MS. I guess she didn’t understand the condition, so my explanation didn’t mean much to her.”

The MS Society found almost half of people with MS feel they have experienced mistreatment or stigma because of their symptoms.

The most common experience is being accused of being drunk because they were having trouble walking.

MS symptoms typically appear when people are in their 20s and 30s and can include sight loss, disability and fatigue.

Today more than 100,000 people are living with MS in the UK, yet 76 per cent of people living with MS believe that the public’s awareness of their condition is low.

Mrs Reeves, who lives with her husband and two teenage children, Charlie and Georgina, said: "I was a positive person before I was diagnosed, and I have been determined to be a positive person after.

"I want to live my life, not my condition. I have a lovely family and a large network of friends who help me stay positive.

"My husband and two children are very supportive.

"We use humour when talking about some of the challenges I face, and we look at the funny side of my falls, misunderstandings in public. It helps me cope.”

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of the MS Society, said: “The results of our survey are unacceptable, by releasing them we hope to challenge these outdated, negative perceptions.

"This is a condition that’s already unpredictable and challenging to live with and this stigma and misunderstanding is making life even harder."

A Live It Well campaign has been launched to raise awareness.

Visit www.mssociety.org.uk/liveitwell