PATIENT VOICES

Overcoming Obstacles as an Athlete With MS

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 27. An athlete all my life, I suddenly found myself unable to rely on my body for simple tasks. I could barely walk or string a sentence together. I was devastated and for a long time, I felt like this was an obstacle I wouldn’t be able to overcome.

My father encouraged me to get involved with the National MS Society, and I began to participate in their annual “Walk MS” events. I couldn’t walk the full course that first year. But as my symptoms improved with treatment and I tried new exercises to build strength and flexibility, my physical fitness improved, too. At the following year’s event, I limped my way to the finish line, and I committed to walking more often and for longer distances over time. I continued to push myself, and once I was comfortable walking again, I decided to raise the bar and start running. I was on a new treatment and feeling even better. But my mobility wasn’t the only obstacle in front of me. I learned that MS symptoms worsen as your body temperature rises. As I increased the time and intensity of my physical activity, my body heat would increase, my legs would go numb, and my vision would blur.

I realized running outside wasn’t wise, because the longer I went, the blurrier my vision became. I found a solution: the treadmill. When running in place, I didn’t need to see well. And over time, as I pushed myself to go faster and longer, my vision became less affected. My father also got me a cooling blanket. Wrapping the blanket around my body helped me cool down, and my symptoms would resolve. I started running road races again.

At the end of my first 5K, I could barely see. Right before crossing the finish line, I tripped. I heard the crowd gasp. But I saved myself. I didn’t fall. I finished the race. My father draped the cooling blanket over me and 10 minutes later, my vision was clear and my mobility returned. Finding that tool showed me that although there will be obstacles, there will also be ways to overcome them, especially with help from my loved ones.

I got it in my head that I wanted to get back to my level of physical fitness prior to MS. But it wasn’t only about showing myself I could do it. The physical activity was also reducing my symptoms and I was feeling better. After completing several 5Ks, I wanted a new challenge. I discovered muddy obstacle course events, specifically the Warrior Dash. These events involve climbing, swimming, running, and crawling through various obstacles meant to challenge your physical–and mental–strength. I fell in love with them. How often in adulthood do you get to go out and run around in the mud with your friends? I participated in the MS Society’s MuckFests and it was so much fun to complete the courses and bond with a team of people who knew exactly what I was going through.

At one point, I was talking to a coworker about these events, and he told me he was the team captain for our company’s Tough Mudder team. I knew Tough Mudders were intense and demanding, and I was wary about my physical ability to do one. He told me I should try it, and my immediate response was, “No. Maybe next year.” But a few days later, as I was driving to work, I thought to myself, “You know what? I’m in the best physical shape since my MS diagnosis, and I don’t know what things will be like next year. If I feel this good today, why not now?”

I called my father and told him, “I’m going to do this thing. Now’s the time.” He said, “If you’re in, I’m in.” He committed to running it with me, and so did several of my coworkers. I started training hard. Half the week was focused on running, and the other half was focused on cross training and gaining strength. I checked in with my doctor about my level of fitness, and he was thrilled with my goals. He told me that exercising with MS is very helpful and encouraged me to keep it up. Of course, he wasn’t thrilled about me running through a field filled with hanging live electrical wires–one of the obstacles that Tough Mudders are known for.

On the day of the event, the race announcer told us, “It’s not about you versus the person next to you. It’s you versus the course.” I completed the obstacles one after another, exhilarated by the adrenaline and by the feeling of pushing myself so far alongside my teammates. I got to one of the most difficult challenges: the quarter pipe. You have to run up a steep, curved ramp and get to the top. As you throw yourself up the quarter pipe, you see random strangers at the top holding out their arms to help you over. All you have to do is run as hard as you can, throw your arms up, and hope that someone will grab you. When it was my turn, someone caught my hand and pulled me up, just as I expected. It was us versus the course; we were all on the same team.

We finally reached the field of hanging live wires, the last obstacle of the race, and we paused before the gauntlet. My team looked at each other, wondering who would go first. Our captain said, “We’re doing it together.” At the count of three, we all ran out. I watched the people around me hit wires and drop to the ground, army crawling the rest of the way. I don’t know if I just got lucky and didn’t hit any high-intensity wires, or if I have a stronger pain threshold than most, but once we got to the end, there were only two of us–myself included–who made it through on our feet. Regardless of how, we all celebrated making it there together. It was an incredible feeling.

Since that first Tough Mudder, I’ve run several more, and I recently celebrated overcoming my biggest challenge yet: finishing the Boston Marathon.

This is my advice to other people with MS: you can’t go it alone. Without my family members, friends, and coworkers, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome obstacles and get to this point. When you have MS, you need people in your life to be there with you, cheering you on when you’re succeeding and sitting by your side when you’re struggling. Bring someone to your doctor’s appointments to help you absorb the information. Talk about what you’re going through with someone you trust so you’re not holding it all inside. Ask for help when you need it. And share your story with others in similar situations so they don’t feel so alone.

Personally, I focus a lot on staying positive and open-minded. When faced with obstacles, I’ve learned to tell myself, “Yes, this is not a good situation right now. But this is a situation I’m going to overcome.” Despite the unpredictable challenges of MS, I know I can get through anything with help from my team.