7 Questions with A Couple featuring Lisa McRipley

MS activist, National MS Society Black MS Experience Summit co-organizer, NMSS Michigan Chapter Trustee

Welcome to “7 Questions with A Couple,” a monthly series that includes quick conversations with a variety of experts and influencers from throughout the MS community. This is a special one for us as we are featuring our dear friend, fellow Michigan MS Activist and National Multiple Sclerosis Society 2020 Inspiration Award winner Lisa McRipley. Lisa is a passionate advocate who is wholeheartedly dedicated to improving the lives for members of the MS community through her efforts including advocating at the state and national levels, serving on the NMSS Michigan Chapter’s Government Relations Advisory Committee and organizing all five Conferences for African American/Black Families Affected by MS in Detroit.

1. Tell us about your MS. When were you diagnosed, and what symptoms lead to your diagnosis?

I traveled from Oakland, California, to Newark, New Jersey, to spend the Thanksgiving holiday at my sister and brother-in-law’s home in 2007. On Thanksgiving eve, I reached for a DVD to watch in the cupboard above me, and I suddenly fell and was unable to move the right side of my body.  My father who, is a medical doctor, assisted me, and my condition stabilized approximately 5 minutes later.  At the conclusion of the holiday, I flew back to Oakland without incident. However, I fell again a few days later, then taken to the ER by ambulance and admitted to the hospital. I received numerous tests, including an MRI and spinal tap, and was given an initial diagnosis of Transverse Myelitis. The plan was to just treat the symptoms, but instead of improving, my condition worsened. In fact, I fell several times a month! Years and numerous neurologists later, my parents flew from Michigan to California to be with me when I finally learned that I had MS at UC San Francisco in September 2010.

2. When did you know that advocacy was going to be the perfect fit for you?

I was raised to speak up whenever I observed injustice, and I became a member of the Student Council from the 7th-11th grades. I continued my interest in activism and social justice as a student leader in college. In graduate school, I spent a summer as a Research Fellow at a higher education research institute in the Washington, D.C., area to conduct research that would affect public policy to increase the opportunities for students of color and students of low-income backgrounds to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. Then, as a higher education administrator, I encouraged students to use their voices as leaders and activists. When I received my MS diagnosis and I moved back to Michigan to be near family, and I became a volunteer with the Michigan Chapter of the National MS Society. I was asked to attend State Action Day and speak with my state legislators about policies that impact people affected by MS, and I was happy to do so – to use my voice to improve the opportunities for others.

3. What was it like for you to have your Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib share your story during the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee’s hearing on drug pricing?

Tammy Willis, President of the Michigan Chapter of the National MS Society, and I met with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib at her District Office in Detroit. Congresswoman Tlaib not only listened but heard what we had to say; she is genuinely concerned about her constituents. When Congresswoman Tlaib shared the story of my MS journey at the Congressional Oversight Committee hearing on Sustainable Drug Pricing last September, I was floored! I was also encouraged because that moment demonstrated the significance of our vote. Our vote equals our voice and ensures that we are included in the narrative of our democracy. I was grateful that our ancestors fought so that we could all have the right to vote and that we could elect people that will be our voice on Capitol Hill.

4. Why was it important for you to volunteer and organize all five Conferences for African American/Black Families Affected by MS in Detroit as well as the NMSS’s first Black MS Experience Summit?

I was hoping to be able to connect with others who shared my experience of being Black and living with MS. Additionally, I wanted to learn about the research on how being Black and having MS may differ from people of other racial backgrounds – and there would be new, helpful research every year! I wanted to assist with disseminating this invaluable information to the community. Also, the best part of serving on the planning committees was seeing how much the participants loved attending the Conferences and looked forward to attending each year.

5. If you could meet any political figure, who would it be and why?

I would like to meet Vice President Kamala Harris. Vice President Harris is from Oakland, California, where I called home for 11 years, and I observed her successful career as the District Attorney of San Francisco, then Attorney General of California, and later Senator of California.  Also, she and I are members of the same sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., which is the first historically Black sorority in the world! I would like to know how she became the first woman – who is Black and Southeast Asian – to be Vice President of the United States; more specifically, what characteristics does she have and what choices did she make that propelled her to become the trailblazer she is?

6. What advice do you have for a person who is intimidated about getting involved as an MS activist?

Do not hesitate; participate! The National MS Society’s Advocacy Team provides information about the policies that significantly impact people living with MS. After attending the trainings, the Advocacy Team pairs you with a veteran MS activist for your first meeting with your state and federal legislators… and you will make a difference.

7. You have the best laugh. What is your favorite go-to for a giggle?

That’s easy; my nephew and niece, Ellis and Elyse McRipley! They are two of the most gifted, and talented people – who are also inherently generous and kind. I may be a bit biased, but if given the opportunity to meet them, you would agree!