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...

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...

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 an...

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...

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 mom...

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...

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 experti...

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...

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 so...

"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 daug...

"People will abandon you. They will come up with whatever they need to justify it." Tyler was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in 2013, and the impact reshaped every part of his life. His marriage ended, relationships shifted, and the identity he built as a Division I athlete began to fall away. In this episode, Tyler talks about nine years of denial, the people who stepped back when MS becam...

This is the MS story people are not ready for. And that is exactly why you need to hear it. Tiffany opens up about the diagnosis that broke her plans, the marriage that had to be rebuilt, the faith that almost collapsed, and the moment she hit the floor and wondered if her family would be better off without her. This is not a polished MS story. This is the real one. Where to Find Tiffany Official...

In this Season 4 premiere, clinician and MS patient Selena shares her powerful story of navigating multiple sclerosis from both sides of care. She opens up about the early symptoms she hid, the fear and uncertainty of diagnosis, the grief of losing her former self, and the daily reality behind the phrase "no two days are alike." Listeners will hear what MS looks like through the eyes of a medical...

Running Into MS with Ursula Forrester Ursula has always been a runner - marathons, half-marathons, and miles that measured more than distance. But in October 2014, after years of unexplained symptoms, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Suddenly, endurance meant something entirely different. She is a wife, a mother of two, and a professional in advertising who still chooses to see the glass...

Steve: From Trauma Nurse to MS Warrior Steve was 30 years old, working as a travel nurse in Idaho, when numbness crept up his leg and refused to go away. A ski accident had rattled his body, but what scans revealed was something else entirely: lesions on his brain and spine. In 2002, Steve entered a world he had once only witnessed from the other side of the hospital bed, the world of multiple scl...

What Strength Really Looks Like Brad was diagnosed with MS at 45. Now 64, he's a speaker, a cyclist, and a face of strength for others living with the disease. But behind the workouts, the travel, and the public optimism is a more complex truth—one that doesn't always fit into a social media caption or a feel-good campaign. In this episode, Brad sits down for a different kind of conversation. One...

School Dan - I do What I Can, When I Can, While I Can Dan has been a teacher for over 20 years, a school spirit leader, a cyclist, and a quiet force in his Florida community. His energy is infectious. His optimism is constant. But behind the vibrant classroom persona is a man living with relentless, invisible pain—and the pressure to never let it show. In this episode, Dan opens up about how MS ha...

Teresa, Jax Bourbon Social: The Power Behind the Pour and MS Teresa Eichner is more than the co-founder of Jax Bourbon Social —she's the relentless force behind one of Jacksonville's most impactful fundraising events for the National MS Society. After a sudden MS diagnosis in 2016, Teresa's world shifted. But instead of retreating, she channeled her decades of experience in PR and politics into ad...

One Rider, One Team, One Million Dollars — Curtis's Story Curtis was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his twenties. What began as fear quickly turned into action. A chance connection to a support group sparked the creation of Team CCC — a cycling team that would go on to raise nearly $1 million for MS research and support. With every mile, Curtis has redefined what leadership looks like in the...

S3_E15: At 17, Emma Thought Her Life Was Over Emma Archuletta, from Utah, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2019 at just 17 years old. One day, she was preparing for high school graduation. The next, she was sleeping 20 hours a day, vomiting without explanation, and using a wheelchair. There was no slow decline—only confusion, fear, and the quiet thought that her life might already be over....

The Art of Becoming — Hannah Garrison's Story Hannah Garrison was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2017, but her journey started long before that; in the silence of being dismissed, the guilt of cultural and religious expectations, and the quiet ache of never quite feeling seen. In this raw and intimate conversation, Hannah shares how MS forced her to confront not only her body, but her identi...

W.T.F., I Have MS? — Chris Brown's Story Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of depression, alcohol misuse, and suicidal thoughts, which may be distressing for some listeners. Just three months after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Chris Brown sits down with us to talk about the weight of a life that hasn't let up. He's faced childhood trauma, infertility, the loss of triple...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of childhood trauma, depression, and suicidal ideation, which may be distressing for some listeners. What happens when you spend your life holding it all together—only to realize it's been breaking you inside? In this powerful episode, Allie Schmidl shares what it meant to live in silence after her 2022 MS diagnosis—buried beneath shame, fear, and...

Before MS, Susie Wyss's body was her job — a fitness instructor, powered by movement and strength. Then one morning, everything stopped. She woke up unable to walk. What followed was a long, painful journey through misdiagnosis, grief, and a complete redefinition of identity. In this episode, Susie opens up about the moment she felt like a stranger in her own body, the invisible symptoms that ling...

Will Anthony Talk MS - A Podcast about Perseverance and Positivity Before MS, Will Anthony built a life behind the chair — salon owner, jingle writer, entrepreneur. But MS didn't just take his livelihood; it tested his faith, reshaped his identity, and led him to a new calling. Diagnosed in 2008 after two years of believing he'd had a stroke, Will faced a reality he couldn't pray or push away. And...