Marcillene: Wichita, KS

Marcillene, 25, is a high school physics teacher in Wichita who lives with multiple sclerosis (MS).

In her sophomore year at college, Marcillene didn’t have access to health insurance. She was working two to three jobs but wasn’t making enough to qualify for federal tax credits to buy insurance and didn’t qualify for Medicaid coverage. Over the course of the year, Marcillene experienced strange symptoms: her speech became slurred, her legs would get numb, and she would sometimes fall when walking between classes.

She saw a doctor who recommended an MRI, but because Marcillene couldn’t afford one, she was diagnosed with a pinched nerve. It wasn’t until a year after her symptoms began that she finally saved enough money to see a neurologist and get an MRI.

That’s when Marcillene was diagnosed with MS.

If Marcillene had access to insurance, she would have started medications a year earlier, which would have prevented the disease from progressing so quickly. Now, she has difficulty with mobility, and sometimes needs a wheelchair to get around. “I have a nephew I love,” she said. “I might’ve been able to run around the playground with him today instead of watch him from a bench.”