Hello my name is Charlie,

I am a 26-year-old professional basketball player. At the age of 16, I started playing basketball for my local borough. Then I moved on and competed in National League. Thereafter, I decided I wanted to play college basketball and took my talents to Denmark (at the age of 19). The following year I received a full scholarship to a college in Alberta, Canada.

After a year in college, I realized that I missed the flexibility and freeness of playing professionally. Balancing basketball with my studies instead of the focal point being basketball was difficult. I continued to travel around Europe and played in Italy, Iceland, England, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.

After I finished my season with Sloboda in Bosnia, I returned home in March 2020. This was the end of the life that I perceived to be “normal” and the start of a very rough journey that was paved by MS.

I recall my first symptom being an overactive bladder. I remember working 8-hour shifts during the lockdown and my manager being irritated that I needed to use the bathroom so frequently. Shortly after this, I noticed a distortion in my vision, swelling of my right eyelid, and a headache that was unbearable. I also had extreme vertigo and loss of balance. During training, it would feel like the world was spinning.

I contacted my General Practitioner which told me it was an “optical migraine”. My symptoms persisted aggressively so they sent me to an A & E at the eye hospital where the Ophthalmologist dismissed my symptoms then discharged me.

I was determined to get to the root of my health condition, it was affecting my day-to-day activities and I was in a lot of pain with no explanation. I went back to my general practitioner and demanded I get a referral to a Neurologist. I would not take no for an answer. It’s extremely worrying that I had to beg for care. He hung the phone up on me and put the referral in as a low priority.

Fast forward a few months, I was in Denmark playing my basketball season when I receive a call from a neurologist and explained all of my symptoms. At this point, I lost the feeling in my right arm, had limp, tingling sensations and my eyelid and lip would twitch out of control. The neurologist was concerned and immediately got me in for an MRI for my head with orbit.

I flew back to London for the results which showed lesions on my brain and optic nerve. Unsure of what it could be, he continued further testing. A month later (December 2020), more tests followed. Another MRI on my spine (which showed more lesions), a lumbar puncture, and blood tests.

With the results of the tests and all of the research I had found on the internet, it had all pointed to Multiple Sclerosis. I was certain I had it. All the symptoms I experienced and the scans lead to this conclusion. With that being said, I was referred to a neurologist that specialized in MS.

While I waited on that referral, I privately took it upon myself to see an MS specialist (March 2021) on Harley Street in London. The consultation lasted less than 10 minutes and he diagnosed me right away. Before I knew it he had set me up with an MS Nurse and due to having a highly active diagnosis of multiple sclerosis recommended the treatment of Natalizumab.

Despite knowing that I have an incurable progressive disease that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life, it was a huge relief to finally be diagnosed. I’ve always had a great fear of hospitals as I’ve been in and out frequently from an early age. In addition, the IV treatment frightened me as I have a huge fear of needles.

Presently, I have done my first treatment. It took two and a half hours.

I haven’t noticed any difference as all my symptoms are the same, but, I still train every single day without fail as I won’t allow MS to take anything else away from me…