CHICAGO - There's a common saying among people who have Multiple Sclerosis: If you've met one person with MS, you've met one person with MS.

Each person's experience with the disease - from the age they got it to the way it has affected their body - is so unique, MS can't be generalized. For some, MS simply leaves them feeling tired. Others are plagued by periodic difficulties in walking or thinking. Still others may lose permanent use of their arms and legs and become paralyzed.

Multiple Sclerosis, a degenerative disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord, can be as emotionally destructive as it can be physically damaging, said Gloria Crews-McAdoo, who started the "I CAN" MS support group in Chicago after her son was diagnosed with the disease.

"It is the uncertainty of MS," Crews-McAdoo said. "If you don't know what's going to happen to you from one day to the next it is very frightening."

While the National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that about 400,000 Americans have the disease, MS has gained more attention this year because Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, has it. Diagnosed with MS in 1998, Ann Romney in recent months has opened up about her battles with fatigue, depression and mobility, suggesting her experience may help shape her goals as first lady should her husband be elected.

The stories of those living with MS in the Chicago area show the many paths the disease can take and the varied ways people have chosen to navigate its uncharted course.

Meghan Melone

On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights, Meghan Melone removes a syringe from the refrigerator, waits for the liquid inside to warm and then injects it into her body.

The drug, known as Rebif, is just one of many designed to help slow the progression of MS.

At times, it has left Melone, 22, fighting headaches and chills, but until this spring it seemed to be working.

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Multiple sclerosis: A chameleon among diseases