Stuart Schlossman

Country: USA
Age: 48
Type of MS: Relapse Remitting
Year of Diagnosis: 1998
Profession: Retired, formerly in International Sales and Marketing

My name is Stuart Schlossman and I live just outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I have been married for eighteen years to Patrice, and have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. When I am not resting I have three dogs that keep me busy and I volunteer for the USA National MS Society.

I was diagnosed with relapse-remitting MS in December 1998 after several years of symptoms including headaches, fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome, Bell's Palsy and leg stiffness.

Having gone through the process of checking for a brain tumour or other severe problems, MS was finally diagnosed. Although I was relieved to learn that I didn’t have a tumour, I was still dumbfounded and was severely depressed for many weeks.

After meeting other people with MS, I felt I had to help those whose symptoms were worse than my own. I don’t see MS as a disease – for me it is an illness, one that I had to do something about.

I formed a support group but wanted to achieve more. I contacted the National MS Society and a year later became the Committee Chair of the South Florida, Coral Gables MS Walk event. Every year my MS Walk Team, Team Hot Shots, has raised lots of money for MS, $36,000 in 2006. It is great to know that a part of this money is being used to fund patient programmes in the local area, and a percentage is also used to fund research. For me, the Walk is both therapeutic and empowering.

In 2003, with my cognitive functioning worsening, and fatigue becoming an issue, I found it increasingly hard to concentrate and carry out my job as part-owner of a business and in April 2003 I stopped working. This wasn’t easy but it did mean I had time to help others with MS.

In 2005, I decided that I would like to do more so I helped to organise The MS Health Expo. This event took place in January 2006 and was attended by more than 600 people. The NMSS South Florida MS Chapter developed the idea and the event was held again in November 2006. Workshops were held on health and exercise, nutrition, parenting with MS and pain and fatigue management. The latest MS research was also presented by a panel of MS professionals.

My local support group has become an Education Program and continues to meet once a month. Guest speakers are invited to discuss the issues and topics faced by the members. Recently, issues such as coping with a chronic illness, case management, and therapies including yoga, tai chi and acupuncture as well as rehabilitation have been discussed. Future topics include sexuality, pregnancy, and relationships with MS.

For me, the group is about educating and empowering people with MS and their caregivers to make the most of their lives through better management of the illness.

What began a few years ago as an email update on everything and anything relating to MS for people with MS in South Florida has now been developed into my own e-newsletter, “Stu’s Views and MS Related News”, that now reaches more than 900 email recipients worldwide.

Although I am extremely active, it is essential that I listen to my body and moderate my activities to prevent myself from becoming too fatigued. I have a very supportive family but sometimes still find it hard to convey to them how MS affects me on a day-to-day basis. I also have financial concerns about the future. Living on a fixed individual disability income while the cost of living continues to rise means that I’ve been unable to save for my ‘Golden Years’.

I hope that one day there is a cure for all of us living with MS and then a way to be found to reverse whatever damage has been done to our bodies and minds by this illness. Dr King once proclaimed "I have a dream". I too have a dream. My dream is a world in which all men and women with MS can live independently.

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