Ocrevus and Dr. Florian Thomas with me on PBS and NJTV

In 2018, my MS symptoms were going downhill. I was looking for a new neurologist and opinion on what would be right for me for taking care of my MS and my future, now including my son who was three years old at the time.

 I did crazy Google searches and finally found Hackensack University Medical Center came up, so I figured what did I have to lose. Dr. Thomas had just moved from Michigan to relocate his career and I just caught him in the nick of time. It’s impossible to get an appointment with him now. I think he only has six patients. He saved my life because he put me on Oak of us, the only currently proved medication for the treatment of primary progressive MS, which is my rare form of the disease.

So now you have some background on the doctor that is speaking about the treatment in this video. And now I will share with you a little bit more about Ocrevus and how it is a part of my life now.

I have been on various medications in the form of a self injection four times a week that stung and left welts all over my body in the locations that I had to inject. I always had to avoid the red lamps to get a fresh spot. It was a nuisance to say the least, but it was preventing my disease from progressing, as shown on regular annual MRIs.  MRIs of my brain that is.

Fast forward to switching to HUMC and Dr. Thomas, who took a brain scan but also a cervical scan and a thoracic skin.  He saw a significant activity in my cervical area which was always overlooked by my neurologist at the time. Because the drug had just come out it was perfect timing. It was the timing of me finding Dr. Thomas and at the right time when Ocrevus had just come out.

The hospital was looking for patient stories.  They interviewed me, and because I had a young son and was progressing before I started the drug and had the disease stopped in its tracks, they decided to use my story.

I hope that you enjoy this part of my journey, which is very truthful and got me choked up watching a video here at the gym. Actually in the parking lot before I go into the gym. Enough said. Let’s rock!