**Justine’s Journey: From Overwhelming Illness to Inspirational Achievement**
Justine Martin’s story is a testament to resilience in the face of persistent adversity, after she endured seven months of increasingly alarming symptoms before receiving four grave diagnoses. Now aged 54, Justine’s health ordeal began with small warning signs she brushed aside, only to culminate in a moment she could not ignore: she discovered she could no longer count to ten, prompting a visit to her doctor that would ultimately confirm her deepest fears.
Justine had watched her own mother succumb to multiple sclerosis (MS) when she was just 26 years old. The shadow of her mother’s illness lingered over her, but doctors had reassured Justine and her brother that MS was unlikely to affect them. Yet, in 2011, her life changed irreversibly when she sat in a neurologist’s office and learned she too had MS – a chronic neurological condition known to cause cognitive difficulties, memory loss, vision issues, and mobility limitations.
“It felt as though my brain and body were betraying me,” Justine recalls, describing the subtle onset that soon turned into relentless disturbances in her daily life. Initially it was little things – mild pains, fleeting confusion – but these escalated to the point she struggled with basic mathematics, couldn’t read a clock correctly, and found her vision blurring unexpectedly. Most disturbingly, walking became agonising, as if her feet were burning or subjected to buzzing electricity.
For Justine, the confirmation of MS came as a shock that left her numb and detached. “It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room,” she says, noting that her heart thudded and her hands shook while being told what she’d quietly feared for years. The reaction from her boss at the time, when Justine, still processing the news, tried to explain her situation, was cold and unsympathetic—reminding her of the challenges many face when invisible illnesses go unrecognised by others.
What followed was a cascade of health problems: within just seven months of her MS diagnosis, Justine was told she also had atrial fibrillation, atrial tachycardia, pericarditis, melanoma, mixed cryoglobulinaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, lipoedema, mast cell activation syndrome, long Covid, and cellulitis. The sheer number of conditions presented a daunting prospect, and left Justine reeling as she navigated an ever-growing list of symptoms and the uncertainty of what might come next.
Perhaps the most daunting moment came in 2017, as an aggressive MS flare robbed Justine of the ability to walk. “I woke up one morning and couldn’t put my feet to the floor,” she explains, recounting the intense, searing nerve pain that left her temporarily wheelchair-bound. Doctors warned her she might never walk again, plunging her into a period of anguish and frustration as she spent weeks in hospital battling to regain her mobility.
Despite these significant setbacks, Justine refused to let circumstances define her. During her recovery, she transformed her home into a makeshift business headquarters. With a coffee table for a desk and an electric blanket wrapped around her aching limbs, she worked up to 14 hours a day. She took calls lying down, managed her schedule with timers, and allowed herself breaks when the physical toll proved too much, all while building a new path for her professional life.
Through sheer determination, Justine founded the Justine Martin Corporation, launching five businesses focused on coaching, mentoring, and resilience training, in addition to managing a publishing house. Her work ethic and tenacity were noticed, resulting in her winning 20 business awards and developing a reputation for inspiring others to pursue their own goals, no matter the barriers they face.
Justine also turned to physical strength as a means of rehabilitation, taking up weightlifting and excelling as a competitive athlete in an all-abilities category, training regularly at the gym. “I’m stronger than I’ve ever been – not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually,” she says, reflecting on her journey from fear and vulnerability to empowerment and purpose.
Her story is a reminder that while chronic illness can dramatically alter one’s life, it can also bring about courage and unexpected growth. Justine’s achievements serve as an inspiration, demonstrating that through grit and an unwavering sense of purpose, it is possible not just to survive, but to thrive—even when the odds seem insurmountable.