For Bethesda-based mom Sari Britz, 2020 wasn’t complicated just because of the pandemic. Britz, who shares son Ian (13) and daughter Alex (10) with her husband, Ben, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) that summer. Since then, Britz has begun to use a rollator to maintain her mobility and finds new ways to make her life work both in and out of the home in Maryland.
How has MS affected your children?
From my kids’ perspective, they’ve become a lot more independent because they sort of have to. I’ll take them somewhere and be like, “Oh, run in and get the food.”
In some ways, I feel like that’s a good thing, learning to sort of advocate for yourself. … They have definitely stepped up to the challenge now with my rollator; they help me put it in the car and get it out. It’s not always pretty. Sometimes, they get frustrated the way I get frustrated or my husband gets frustrated. I know they’re not frustrated at me. We’re all just frustrated at MS.
How does parenting look the same for you?
I just continue to show up for my kids in every aspect [I can]. … I feel like there’s very few things I actually don’t go to or show up for, and if I can’t show for it, there’s a different way I try to do it, whether it’s Venmo-ing funds or making some sort of other effort to fill in the gap of me physically being there.
In what ways have you made changes to allow your life as a parent to run smoothly?
I do a lot of online shopping. Order groceries for pickup or DoorDash. … A big part of the puzzle is just having a super strong support system. Carpooling is my superpower because it’s something I can easily do. It’s definitely a challenge and not something I ever thought I would experience in my life, but here we are.
Can you talk a bit about your involvement with the MS community?
For his Bar Mitzvah project … my son and his friend did a bingo night at Bannockburn Clubhouse, and they had over 70 people. Their goal was to raise $1,800, and they raised $4,200, so it was a huge success. It was all for MS.
In 2025, I was the DC MS honoree for the walk, so I was on stage and I have a team called “Sari’s Squad,” and we raised over $20,000, so it was pretty amazing. Since my diagnosis, I have sort of poured a lot of my efforts into fundraising for it.
How have people in the MS community supported you?
[People with MS are] very different. So, one [person I know] has really bad anxiety and eye stuff, one is like brain fog and fatigue, so we have text message chain called “MS Complaint Department,” so we all sort of complain to each other rather than complain to our spouses.
Family Favorites
Game To Play: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Family Activity: Board games
Restaurant: Sal’s Italian Kitchen
Vacation Spot: Florida
