Last Updated: July 7, 2009
Writing about yourself is a bit narcissistic. That said, it's even stranger to read about yourself in a huge half-page Infiniti advertisement that appeared in the The Wall Street Journal before 1.3 million people. Since then I've been interviewed on the radio and had a couple of large articles written about me and ActiveMSers in the Albuquerque Journal. If you'd like to read more about these interviews, articles and ads, go to ActiveMSers in the News.
Who am I? Contrary to the effusive language used by the copywriters at Infiniti, I'm not a "truly rare person." I'm just a person, 40 years old, with multiple sclerosis. Yes, I have had my share of adventures (my motto has always been that if I keel over tomorrow, I have zero regrets). And yes, I am doing something about my disease.
Career
Pure and simple, I'm a writer. I first sharpened pencils at The Washington Times. Literally, I was a gopher in the sports department. After a terribly boring stint as a tech writer, I moved out of the D.C. area to Albuquerque and began a freelance copywriting business, Dave The Writer. Part time work at the local United Way helped make ends meet for a few years before I cut ties with a regular paycheck. In 2000, I joined Sport Z Magazine, a popular Nissan/Datsun Z car and Infiniti G35 enthusiast magazine, as the editor in chief. In the Fall of '06 I helped found, with the Sport Z team, another Nissan publication, Nissan Sport. The first issue went to press in September of 2006 and the magazine is available today at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Hastings bookstores nationwide.
Travels & Adventures
I didn't start traveling extensively until I got married to my amazing wife, Laura, in 1993. Our four-month honeymoon was an unforgettable around-the-world voyage on Semester at Sea. We caught piranhas in the Amazon, witnessed apartheid in South Africa, explored temples in India, and hiked the Great Wall of China. We haven't stopped traveling since. We've been to some three dozen countries, more than a dozen since I was diagnosed, including much of Central America, New Zealand, Thailand, and Bhutan, "the happiest country on earth" wedged in the Himalayas near Tibet and Nepal. I'll freely admit that some of our more adventurous travel is taking place now, as MS is as unpredictable as a three year old.We recently returned from an enchanting trip to Morocco, celebrating Christmas in a tented camp in the Sahara. Quebec City and Italy are on our list of upcoming destinations.
Multiple Sclerosis
My first symptoms started shortly after we returned from a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia in the early part of 2005 (coincidentally within a week of my last Hepatitis B booster, you can read my blog for my thoughts on this). Flashes in the eyes sent me to the eye doc. Strange, I thought. He found nothing. Then a series of odd symptoms that would just last a few days: burning knees, burning chest, an arm that fell asleep for no reason. On September 26 my entire right side went numb over the course of about an hour. The ER doc doubted a stroke; MS seemed like a real possibility. Most tests pointed that direction. I created ActiveMSers March 2 of 2006, just eight days before I was clinically diagnosed March 10. The next day I snowboarded in two feet of fresh powder. I started on a disease-modifying therapy March 28, 2006.
Current Symptoms
As a guy diagnosed in his late 30s, statistically I'm going to have it a bit rougher than a twenty-something young woman. My neurologists have said in the past "I'm doing great," but a recent relapse in May means two setbacks in 15 months. Not good news, but not entirely unexpected. My neuros have suggested changing therapy and today (7/7) I went off drug in preparation of a new treatment. Heck, I even shaved my head to recognize this new start (not necessarily recommended). Over the years, numbness has spread from the feet to the legs to the chest. And now it has moved into my hands, but most days it's not too bad. My most recent relapse mirrored the one in February of 2008, when I had severe weakness on my right side (even lifting a beer seemed heavy ... and walking from the couch to the fridge to get said beer was a challenge) and a burning sensation over my entire body. Of course during both relapses I still worked out just about every day--I can be pretty stubborn. Bike when one leg doesn't work at all? Why not! These days I look a pretty funny when I walk and when I've got to walk any serious distances a cane is my companion. On the trail, I always use trekking poles. Running? Ha, forget it. My vision is somewhat out of whack, with contrast a problem (think turning up the contrast too high on your TV). Heat, especially from exercise, ramps up these symptoms to the point where I can't read the clock in the gym and I need to be careful when walking. Playing baseball the other summer with Dad was tricky. He had to throw the ball far out to my glove side, so if I missed catching the ball (which happened with a few tosses I didn't see), I wouldn't get clunked on the head. Batting was doable, but I relied on muscle memory more so than my vision. Fortunately, I don't yet have an issue with fatigue. I still work out an hour a day (aerobic, strength, and stretching), six days a week, just like I have been doing since turning 30. I still snowboard, hike, travel--almost everything I used to do pre-MS. I still have fun, even though I'm not as good or as fast as I once was. Granted, my tennis game has gone into the crapper (but I still try), and my jogging career ended before it ever began (although I can still finish dead last in a 5K walk), but such is life with this disease.
