My Story

My story of finding out about having MS is probably similar to many of the other people living with MS today. I offer my story only as an example to show you that it can affect anyone at anytime in their lives.

I have no MS in my family. I don’t smoke, I eat well and exercise regularly. I was doing all the things I needed to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Or at least I thought I was.

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How it all started...

For me it was with a hockey game.  I play in a recreational league in town and in March of 2005 I was playing what was seemingly a normal hockey game. It proved to be the most important game of my life. 

During the game I twisted my back and decided to call it a day.  Within a day or so, I started feeling strange sensations in my feet.

By the end of the week these sensations didn’t seem to let up so I decide to go see the doctor and have him have a look. I had come to the conclusion myself that I must have pinch a nerve in the back or something like that. My doctor gave me a good once over and said it sounded like what he called a “zinger” basically what I had expected - a twisted back that has caused some swelling which is pinching some nerves to cause these sensations, it will take time, but they will let up.

A few weeks passed and these funny sensations seemed to come and go. Feeling that it was taking a while to heal, I headed back to my doctor and he said it still seemed to be the same thing, but just in case set me up a neurologist appointment.

The neurologist appointment went off without a hitch, he "zapped" my back, legs and feet, testing the electrical impulses. All readings came back normal but he ordered an MRI anyways. It was classified as non-emergency so I was put on the “elective list” and waited 15 weeks.

Up to this point I was completely unfamiliar with MS. None of my doctors ever mentioned it to me because to this point I don't think they even suspected it (later I found out that my neurologist was more worried about a brain tumour). So as I was sitting down with my neurologist to review my MRI results … “Let’s take a look at the images, I haven’t had a chance to see them myself yet…” – scrolling though the images  --- “hmmm. That’s not normal, that’s not normal, and that’s not normal” … “Looks like textbook case of MS” … “I’ll have to confirm that with a few other tests and send you to UBC MS Clinic” ... December 7th, 2005 - probable diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis --- My life changed in an instant... How was I going to tell my wife? What about my kids, are they at risk?

Although it was a hockey game that started my path to diagnosis, my neurologist reminds me the injury was coincidental, and that I should continue to play as long as I can. I am still playing today.

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There are many things in my life that I really enjoy doing and many things I would still love to do. I like to play with my daughter at the park, run with her, play in the mud with her. I want to teach her how to ride her bike. I want to walk her down the aisle and dance with her at her wedding. I want to take care of my family, help raise my children, and be here for my wife.

In order for me to keep doing things I love and to look forward the rest, I need to fight this disease.