The Other Side of MS

Lisa has lived with multiple sclerosis for 33 years. She calls it an unwelcome houseguest. It is there. She knows it is there. But she refuses to give it control of the house. Lisa is a former soldier, national champion bodybuilder, retired professional athlete, and cyclist who still trains, lifts weights, and measures most of her year in normal days rather than bad ones. She knows her experience is unusual. Her own doctor has called her a unicorn. And Lisa does not apologize for that. Her MS can still overrule her. Heat and humidity can leave her recovering for days. Her feet can stay numb. Cognitive symptoms exist. But those realities have never become the organizing principle of her life. That perspective has not always made her feel welcome in the MS community. It has led to disagreement, judgment, and one support group she entered on rollerblades and never returned to. Lisa's message is not that everyone with MS should live the way she does. In fact, she says the opposite: "I can help you understand my MS. I don't know about your MS." Sometimes the honest MS story is about loss, fear, and everything the disease has taken. And sometimes the honest story is simply this: MS is real. MS is unpredictable. And for Lisa, it still does not get to be the most important thing about Lisa. Bike MS: City to Shore September 26–27, 2026 Cherry Hill, NJ Support Lisa's Bike MS fundraiser: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/797562

On her birthday, Whitney had to be carried into an MRI. The next day came a phone call with good news and bad news. What followed would leave a personal trainer unable to trust the body she had spent years teaching others to strengthen. Today, Whitney wants people to see the version of her that rides, hikes, speaks publicly, and refuses to let MS define what she can still do. She calls her Strong Whitney. But there is another Whitney she is far less willing to show. What happens when being seen as strong becomes almost as important as actually feeling strong? Donate to Whitney's I Ride with MS: Bike MS Fundraiser https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/806581?referrer=mf%3A806581%3Ayou-copy&language=en

Karen listened as strangers described what MS was doing to their bodies. The details sounded familiar. Too familiar. For the next month, she told herself she was imagining it. The first neurologist gave her an easier answer. Then another doctor confirmed the one she had been trying not to believe. Karen decided MS would not beat her. But beneath that determination are three days she rarely lets anyone see, a fear she has never left behind, and a question that cuts deeper than any diagnosis: What happens when the person who always took care of everyone else becomes the one who needs help? Donate to Karen's MS fundraiser: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/816829

Brandon Deen knows what it feels like to be asked, "How are you?" without anyone truly wanting the answer. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while already living with PTSD and depression, he found himself navigating not only a chronic illness, but the loneliness of feeling unheard. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Brandon reflects on what happens when people show up for the diagnosis but disappear during the journey. He talks openly about mental health, military service, relationships, advocacy, and the difference between someone listening and someone truly hearing you. This is a conversation about isolation, finding your voice, and why one simple question, "How are you?" can mean everything when someone is willing to stay for the answer.   Support Brandon's Bike MS NYC Fundraiser: If Brandon's story resonated with you, consider supporting his Bike MS NYC fundraising efforts. Every donation helps advance research, advocacy, and programs for people living with multiple sclerosis. Support Brandon's Bike MS NYC Fundraiser

For months, Bridget Longnecker was told her symptoms were anxiety, hormones, or postpartum depression. Meanwhile, she was losing vision, mobility, speech, and trust in herself. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Bridget shares the reality of searching for answers while being repeatedly dismissed by healthcare providers, the psychological toll of being told it's all in your head, and the moment she finally received the diagnosis that changed everything. The conversation explores fear, motherhood, invisible illness, self-doubt, and what happens when you begin questioning your own reality because nobody else seems willing to believe it. Bridget also opens up about the lasting emotional impact of MS, the uncertainty that still follows her today, and why stability doesn't always mean feeling safe inside your own body. This is a conversation about trust, credibility, and the hidden psychological weight of living with a disease that many people never fully see.   Support Resource: If Bridget's perspective on navigating uncertainty, chronic illness, and mental health resonated with you, and you're in the New Port Richey, Florida area seeking support, you can learn more about her counseling practice at: https://compasscounselingandwellness.com/

People tell Bill Mooney he handles MS well. But what happens when everyone sees the resilience and almost nobody sees the fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty underneath it? In this episode, Bill talks about the parts of multiple sclerosis that rarely make it into fundraising speeches, awareness campaigns, or everyday conversations. The pressure to stay positive. The fear that never completely leaves. The emotional cost of explaining an invisible disease. This is a conversation about what people celebrate, what they miss, and what it really means to live with MS when the crowd goes home.   Support Bill's Mission: If Bill's story resonated with you, consider supporting his Walk MS fundraising efforts. Every donation helps advance research, advocacy, and programs for people living with MS. Support Bill's Walk MS Fundraiser Now

Dr. Mary Hughes has spent decades treating multiple sclerosis, researching it, advocating around it, and helping shape the future of MS care. But long before MS became her professional focus, it became personal. Two of her sisters were diagnosed with the disease nearly thirty years apart, forcing Dr. Hughes to live in the uncomfortable space between neurologist and sister, between clinical expertise and the reality that sometimes even the expert cannot protect the people she loves. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Dr. Hughes reflects on what those diagnoses changed inside her, how they shaped the direction of her career, and the emotional tension of spending a lifetime helping families navigate a disease she still cannot fully control herself. The conversation also explores the racial disparities that existed for decades in MS diagnosis and care, including the long-held belief that African Americans rarely developed MS. Dr. Hughes discusses how those assumptions delayed diagnoses, limited access to treatment, and forced difficult conversations inside both medicine and advocacy organizations. Dr. Hughes completed her internship and neurology residency at Emory University and later trained in Electrophysiology at the Medical College of Georgia. She founded the Augusta MS Center in 2002 and later served as Division Chair for Neurology at Greenville Health System, where she helped expand neurological care and develop curriculum for the system's medical school. From 2008 to 2019, she served on the National MS Society Board of Trustees and chaired the African American Advisory Committee. She was inducted into the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Health Professionals Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2015 and continues to advocate for greater access to care, clinical trials, and patient education through her work at Premier Neurology. This is a conversation about medicine, family, advocacy, uncertainty, and what happens when your life's work becomes inseparable from the people you love. Support the Mission: If you would like to support the mission of the National MS Society, you can support one of the individuals who ride for MS at https://www.theothersideofms.com/about-bike-ms. They ride for MS. Your donation fuels the mission.

Rachael has seen multiple sclerosis from more than one angle. Her husband lives with it. So do other members of her family. Over time, what she thought she understood about MS has changed in ways she didn't expect. In this conversation, Rachael talks about what MS actually looks like inside a marriage. The parts you don't see. The things that don't get said. What happens when one person is "house planting" and the other is trying to understand how to respond. They talk about communication, frustration, and the quiet ways both people hold things back to protect each other. Rachael also shares what changed when she faced her own autoimmune diagnosis, and how that shifted the way she understood what her husband had been carrying all along. This is not a story about inspiration. It's about learning how to live inside something you didn't choose, together. Rachael Fenich serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Helpful Links Donate to the Bike MS Georgia Ride Learn more about the Bike MS Passport Program Join Bike MS. Find a Ride Near You  

Mark Morabito looked at his wife in a hospital room and told her she could leave. He had just been diagnosed with MS. And in his mind, he already knew how it would end. In this episode, Mark doesn't hold back. He talks about growing up watching his mom live with MS, believing it was a slow decline you couldn't escape. He shares the fear of becoming her, the regret of what he wishes he had known sooner, and the moment everything shifted. We push on the idea of "mind over matter." Because for some, that mindset feels empowering. For others, it feels like a lie. This is not a clean story. It's tension, contradiction, and truth in real time. What does it mean to fight a disease you can't control? And where is the line between strength and reality? Listen in. Support Mark in Walk MS: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/890235

"Some days are tougher than others." Justin Yuhaze was diagnosed with MS just days before the birth of his second daughter. In this episode, he talks about the months that followed, the symptoms he tried to hide, the depression he did not always want to name, and the moments that pushed him toward deeper conversations instead of avoiding them. Justin also shares what it has meant to raise two daughters who have only ever known him with MS and the choices he makes to stay active and present in their lives. Donate to Justin's Bike MS Fundraiser: Justin is riding in Bike MS: City to Shore Ride 2026 as the team captain of Muggles on a Mission. Help him reach his goal of raising $5,000 for the National MS Society. Support his fundraiser here: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/784914