S3_E15: At 17, Emma Thought Her Life Was Over

Emma Archuletta, from Utah, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019 at just 17 years old. One day, she was preparing for high school graduation. The next, she was sleeping 20 hours a day, vomiting without explanation, and using a wheelchair. There was no slow decline—only confusion, fear, and the quiet thought that her life might already be over.

In this episode, Emma talks candidly about the chaos of her early diagnosis: missing senior prom, crawling up stairs, and finishing school from a hospital bed while juggling college-level coursework. She shares how her body became unfamiliar, how people questioned her because she "looked fine," and how she built a dating rulebook to protect herself from rejection.

Now an elementary school teacher, Emma reflects on what it means to pursue a dream career while managing invisible symptoms. We talk about the fatigue that threatens her work, the cost of treatment, and the moments she's chosen to live boldly—through surfing, snowboarding, and refusing to let MS define her.

This is not a story of triumph. It's a story of persistence. A story of living with the unknown, and refusing to let it decide who you get to be.