It all started when I fell down the stairs. I was bruised, sore and somewhat bewildered about the fall. I began having difficulty walking. My right foot was dragging with every step. The big toes on my feet kept making holes in brand new socks. During meetings at work, I had trouble seeing the written text on various documents. I could barely visualize the print well enough to read it. I began to use a magnifying glass. I was embarrassed by my sight deficit and felt like I needed new glasses. I was not sure what was wrong with me. I wondered if I was having some sort of psychological or emotional difficulty. I felt like I was going a bit mad.

Later that day, I asked the employee health nurse at my job if I could possibly have MS. I was not serious until she said, “Charlie, I don’t know. Perhaps you should see a neurologist.” A neurologist? What is a neurologist? I went to see my doctor for a possible referral. After a quick physical and reflex exam I was given a referral to see a Neurologist.

The neurologist’s office is a different kind of place. The brochures and magazines in the waiting room are mostly about Alzheimer’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. I nervously chuckled to myself, thinking that this visit was nothing more than a big mistake. I met the doctor who interviewed me by asking questions about my medical history and lifestyle. I asked her about my MS like symptoms. She then had me walk on my heels, walk on my toes, walk a straight line, and follow her thumbs as she moved them. She closely examined my face and said that it appeared to be palsied on the left side. She gave me a test where I had to touch my nose with my index finger. Then she noticed that my right leg was “out of alignment”.

I needed a Magnetic Resonating Imaging (MRI) test to rule out Multiple Sclerosis. I was stunned and in disbelief. All of my foot dragging, stumbling, slurred speech and blurred vision could not possibly be MS. How was I going to proceed with my plans to adopt a little girl from China? What would happen in regards to my career? Why me? I could not believe it. My attitude allowed me to maintain a level of optimism, but I sat there in a fog listening to the doctor and followed her instructions for reading about MS on the world-wide-web. My life suddenly appeared to be heading in the direction of uncertainty.

I took on a new job as a therapeutic recreation director in a long term care facility. I passed my pre-employment physical. Therapeutic recreation is a helping profession. We adapt leisure activities for people with physical, cognitive, and social/emotional deficits. We help people overcome barriers to a leisure lifestyle. I work in a facility for older people with disabilities. I help design therapeutic gardens and recreation therapy programs. I am a professional therapist with the real prospect of becoming a resident in the very place I work.

I thought back to my studies in recreation therapy with a whole new perspective. As a student, I learned a little bit about recreation for MS patients. Stretching, mild exercise, range of motion activities, social activities and achieving successful outcomes are the basic tenets for working with MS patients. According to the literature, MS patients have symptoms including muscle spasms, loss of sensations, and difficulty with bladder control. We are noted for presenting physical and emotional changes. This was the beginning of a long and arduous road.

Now, nine years later, I am a quadriplegic looking for leisure.