Regina Lisella doesn’t let life get her down.

Her positive, friendly personality brightens a room and everyone around her can’t help but be drawn to her smile.From first impressions, the Summit Hill woman looks like a friend you have yet to meet, and her story is both heartbreaking and heroic.Years ago Lisella, who at the time was a mother to her young son, noticed her legs began hurting and the sensation of bugs crawling under her skin became more frequent. She experienced episodes of extreme fatigue, falls became a common occurrence and problems with swallowing started happening.“I was a nurse for over 30 years and I had taken care of people with multiple sclerosis back in the late ’70s and early ’80s and I had their symptoms,” she said.In 2006, Lisella set out on a journey to find the underlying cause of her deteriorating condition.But it wasn’t until 2008, at the age of 53, that she finally found the answer to her problems.Lisella is one of an estimated 2.3 million people worldwide living with MS.“I felt better knowing and I knew I had to accept it,” she said, adding that looking back, the signs were all there.“I think I had it for quite some time before I was diagnosed.”But that diagnosis hasn’t stopped her from doing what she loves, dedicating her life to helping others.Lisella was forced to give up her profession and begin working on herself.She started taking medications to help reduce the attacks, but as the years went on, the stiffness set in and walking has become a challenge.That hasn’t stopped Lisella though.Floating on airLisella admits that she has many bad days, forced to walk with a cane or walker, and sometimes the pain is worse than others, but within those bad moments, she credits her son, John, for being her rock.She talked about his recent wedding, and their mother-son dance.“If I could live that dance over,” she said, choking back tears. “At his wedding I brought my walker in because I wasn’t sure how the dance would be.“When it came time for the dance, John just came up behind me and said ‘it’s our time’ and I said ‘let me get at least a cane’ and he said ‘you don’t need anything.’ I felt like I was walking on air. He took me out to the dance floor and I did what I could but he made it feel so easy for me.“It was a wonderful, incredible memory. Maybe it was the grace of God but it went beautifully.”John also had beautiful words about the courage his mother has had throughout this whole diagnosis.“My mom is a true-to-life saint,” he said. “I’m sure anyone that knows her would agree. She suffers daily with MS, but she always thinks of everyone else before herself.“Despite the difficult day she may be having, anyone and everyone she comes in contact with has their day brightened. She is the type of person who, if all she had was $1 to her name, she’d give it to the poor kid down the block.“She is a true inspiration for her courage, strength and positivity she shows every day. She’s the definition of selfless. I’m proud to call her mom.”Shining a light on MSLast week, the Carbon County Commissioners and Summit Hill Mayor Paul McArdle adopted proclamations naming March 7-13 as MS Awareness Week in the county, but hoped that the week would help raise awareness all month long.“I want to say that Gina is a model of courage,” Commissioner William O’Gurek said, adding that he has a special place in his heart for his fellow Marian High School classmate. “I wish you could see how she conducts herself despite having a disability. I have seen her on Sundays get up on the lectern at (St. Joseph’s) Church (in Summit Hill) to continue to be a lector and continue to live life as normal as possible. She does that with courage and strength.“She thanks God that she didn’t have to give up everything.” O’Gurek said. “We admire your courage and your strength.”“You have taken a life setback and made such a positive out of it,” Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said.“You are a role model for a lot of people,” Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard added.“I am thrilled they adopted the proclamation,” Lisella said. “It is very important to educate people about the disease because a lot of people do not understand about MS.”Raising awarenessLisella has been involved in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Pennsylvania since her diagnosis and is currently the government relations counsel for the chapter.In that position, she has traveled to Washington, D.C., where she has advocated for funding for research. Currently, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society fuels about 380 research projects that cost nearly $54 million.On a recent trip to Washington, Lisella met with other advocates from across the country to raise awareness and hope for future MS cases.While there, she also met with congressmen, as well as scientists.She told the commissioners that the experience in Washington is very humbling because all walks of life are in attendance.“Children as young as 2 can have this disease,” she said. “We are trying to find ways to help each other because no two people have the same symptoms.“When I had to leave nursing after many years I felt like I had a void,” Lisella continued. “This has given me a feeling of helping and that is very important.She urged people who are having symptoms to go to their doctor.“Be your own advocate,” she said. “If you hear an answer that is not helping you, pursue it again because it’s important.”