Pardon the Introduction: My Life with MS in Motion

Though my first brush with MS came in 2000 or so, I wasn’t diagnosed until December 2013 with primary progressive MS. Shortly after the diagnosis, I began scouring the internet for information about the disease and how to live with it. Sound familiar? I found and bookmarked Multiple Sclerosis News Today and, in March this year, I began writing MS in Motion.

Naming the column was harder than I thought. When I began long-term disability in April 2016, I had a bunch of time on my hands to think. About stories. About how awful MS can be. But also about sneaky little victories pulled off while the disease was looking the other way.

After a couple of false starts, we landed on MS in Motion, partly because that’s how I see the disease — always moving and progressing, even if in the most subtle ways. But I also wanted an aspirational perspective to the column and what I might bring to life with the disease. Broadly, I wanted to write about how to keep moving, even as MS makes that increasingly harder for me, with hopes that others who are scouring the internet like I did (and continue to do) might find this information meaningful or helpful … or both. 

The launch of this column coincided very closely with the launch of Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) as an FDA-approved therapy. Like many others with MS, I wanted to share my experience and thoughts about the new drug. After all, Ocrevus could make a huge difference in my life … if it works for me. But I was so focused on that story that I raced right by the opportunity to properly introduce myself or explain what this column is about.

So, here we are. My name is Mike Knight. I am 57 years old. My wife and I have been married for 31 years and we don’t have children. I’ve worked as a freelance writer since 1996 and have written for local, regional, national and international publications. We like to travel, to listen to live music and to be as active as possible.

I very much wish I didn’t have MS. Yet, with all the time on my hands (a dangerous surplus for writers) and the practice and experience of looking for stories within a story, I am continually surprised by what MS is trying to teach me … if only I’ll let it.

I’ve come to see MS as a kind of metaphor for life: It’s always changing. I’m wise not to take anything for granted, and I’m better off when I try — no matter how hard — to establish and maintain balance in as many ways as I can. MS is a work in progress in me. It’s always moving and waiting to throw me off-balance, especially when I’m not looking for it to do so. 

I’m sorry it has taken me this long to find a moment to introduce this column and myself. I do wish we’d met under different circumstances, but it is my privilege to meet you. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this column, and I hope we get the chance to meet again.

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