HOUSTON – Multiple sclerosis, or MS, affects a million Americans a year. It can lead to a range of symptoms, from fatigue and numbness to more severe issues like mobility problems and vision loss.
It’s a chronic illness that can change lives in an instant, but advancements in medicine are making this a treatable disease.
“We’ve achieved more research advancements in the last five years than the 70 preceding,” said Amanda Payne with the National MS Society. “So we are at a really exciting time for those people living with MS. They now have over 20 disease-modifying therapies to choose from, where the first one, wasn’t FDA approved until 1993. So that’s a really short window of time to have so much advancement. We’re getting closer than ever to finding what, like the root cause of MS is... because once we can get there, then the fun really starts, right? Because then you’re talking about the cure for that disease.”
SEE ALSO: How Texas MS 150 brings in funds to fight the disease better than ever
By understanding MS, Payne says we can better support those who live with it.
Danielle Dubois is the Hangry Houstonian on Instagram. She’s a local influencer happily trying new things and inspiring others. She was also recently diagnosed with MS.
“I’m excited to show people what MS in 2025 can and will look like — like I am determined to live a full, healthy, and happy life,” Dubois said. “Nothing is going to change my life. Like, I love to be active. I love to be on the go and now, since I’ve started, Kesimpta, which is the monthly injection, like, I feel better than ever. And I feel like that is a true testament to all the research and development that’s happening in the MS the community, and especially with the walk coming up and all the funds that are being raised.”
She first recognized she had a medical condition when her vision suddenly changed.
“My central vision was kind of going out. I felt like it almost looked like somebody had taken a can of spray paint. It had spray-painted that central part of my eye. I could see peripheral, but I couldn’t see central,” Dubois said. “I literally went to the eye doctor with yoga pants on, no makeup. I’m going in and out real quick and ended up going straight to the emergency room. Then I was in the hospital for a week on I.V. Steroids... Yeah. Life changes like that.”
However, her doctors assure her (and all newly diagnosed patients) that this is an incredible time for treatment since medications can stop symptoms and delay progression.
“What you might think of what MS was years ago is not what MS is going to be in the future. I know so many people that, you know, think that it’s, you know, you end up in a wheelchair or you know, you’re not going to be able to fend for yourself, and that’s just not the case anymore. There’s so many medications. My doctor came to me with 25 different medications and was like, all right, let’s pick,” Dubois said.
The treatments like she’s on have changed the trajectory of the disease for everyone who gets diagnosed today.
Payne said it’s all thanks to the money raised by those of you who support the MS Society. Like at the MS walks happening this month and their MS 150 bike ride.
“The funds that are raised by all of our volunteers are what fueled the work of the National MS Society. It’s how we advance research efforts. It’s how we support patients through our patient programs. It’s how we advocate to change policies and laws to help create an environment that’s more conducive to those that are living with us,” Payne said.
Without that fundraising, patients like Dubois would never have the modern treatments that are available today. That’s how you can help.
Sign up for one of the MS walks happening in the Woodlands on Saturday, March 22 and in Houston on Saturday March 29. Walk MS: Find Your Walk Near You | National MS Society
