Silvia Rueda Guzmán, 28, lives in Consell, a village in Mallorca. She has studied Business Administrationat the University of Mallorca (UIB) and continues to study higher education in dietetics and English in the official language school.

In her spare time, Silvia likes to go out with her friends, go to the gym as well as eating out, reading and listening to music. When she was child, she had a passion for drawing but had to give up on it because of her many responsibilities and her job in administration.

Silvia was diagnosed with MS in March 2014, and it changed her life completely, “it was really hard for me to come to terms with the disease. I used to cry myself to sleep every night but now I’m more positive and have a different attitude. I promised myself that I would enjoy every moment, because the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen in the future is really nerve-racking. Overcoming this traumatic experience has made me stronger and a more positive person. I was not a positive person before I was diagnosed with MS, nor did I appreciate the little things in life. So, in a way, MS has been an eye-opening experience in the sense that I now walk through life with my eyes open and enjoy every minute of it.”

Silvia wants to make the most of the Oceans of Hope experience, and looks forward to exchanging experiences with other MS Sailors, “the exchange of experiences with people who go through the same problems as you is very enriching and uplifting. It makes you feel part of a group. What I expect from this boat trip is getting to know people from different walks of life and different cultures, as being in contact with other cultures and languages makes one grow at all levels,” she said.

Silvia is getting married on September 15th and is very excited about it. “At the end of the day life is about enjoying what it brings us. In my opinion, that’s what makes us lead a happy life,” she said.