A journey to living well and embracing life with MS: Brad’s story

‘While everyone was freaking out, I saw my MS diagnosis an important opportunity to reflect on myself — and spent those early days walking and thinking and reassessing my life to that point,’ Brad says

‘This has really helped me to really understand that being in the present is all that matters. I feel like I had the time to process everything from my past, I no longer carry that with me.’

Brad was diagnosed with MS in September 2020, but like most people with MS, he had been experiencing symptoms for a lot longer.

‘I can’t be completely sure, but I think my first symptoms were back in 2006. I was a young adult working in the big smoke of Melbourne for the first time. The mental challenges I experienced during this time I can confidently reflect on now. MS can dramatically upend your life if you don’t speak up about how you feel,’ Brad says.

Although Brad had been experiencing ill health for several years, early MS symptoms really became evident in the five years before diagnosis.

‘There was probably a five-year period when my health symptoms started to escalate. I was engaged, which broke down at the end of 2019 after being together for a long time. I had to move out of the house we shared and move in with my brother, so I was starting from scratch. Within four months I received my diagnosis.’

Adapting to a diagnosis

‘That was really the lowest point for me. I spent a bit of time wallowing and feeling sorry for myself, but it was also a revelation that I now knew what was wrong with me, after feeling sicker and sicker for five years. After that I was able to start moving forward,’ Brad says.

Brad, whose symptoms include muscle spasticity, joint stiffness, fatigue and cognitive difficulties, approached his diagnosis like a wakeup call and began making positive changes to his lifestyle.

‘I knew I needed to quit smoking, to clean up my diet, move more, stop drinking, gambling — and I did all these things within 6 months after diagnosis. I realised I could take control of my life and my health.’

‘It was a relief that there was an explanation, after years of being told that we would “just keep monitoring it” it was then like “okay, I have something I can work with. Now at least I know what I need to do, I have a path forward”.’

• ‘I started reading again and looking for new ways to approach life, new philosophies and ways of thinking that helped me to get some perspective,’ Brad says.
• ‘My diagnosis gave me the confidence to make those changes in my life. I knew I could sit there and feel sad and upset at everything I didn’t like in my life, or I could get up and get going.
• ‘When I stopped doing all the things that were not serving me anymore, things like drinking or gambling or smoking that gave me a false sense of control or happiness, I started gaining some perspective and things became more positive for me. After that my life propelled in a new direction.’
  
  
• Not just surviving but thriving
  
  

In addition to seeking employment support from an occupational therapist, Brad joined a peer support group and began volunteering as a Peer Support Facilitator with MS Plus Peer Talk, a one-on-one phone support service.

‘I love it. What I love is that most of us will not know anyone with MS or know the worst possible scenarios of the condition. Once you talk with someone you realise it’s not always that way.

‘I reached out to a friend with MS after my diagnosis and I’ve watched what she’s done since she found out she has MS — she exercises, she works, she’s just had a child and she helped me to realise that life will keep going and you can achieve so much,’ Brad says.

‘I’m conscious that some days aren’t going to be the best but that I control whether tomorrow’s going to be good.

‘The evolution and growth of myself as a man, and my understanding of the world around me has given me a lot of confidence in myself & the daily decisions I make to ensure I live my best life.

‘Remember, we wake up and decide if today is a day we can live with confidence in our ability to treat ourselves with love and understand that if it’s a challenge, there is always tomorrow to try again.’