Sometimes, the first signs of MS don’t shout, they whisper. For Matthew Price, it started during what should’ve been a normal night out with his family. “During the movie, my face felt droopy. When we got to the car, I asked my wife Rebecca to look at it. She agreed it did look like one side was drooping a bit. I was a little concerned, but by the next day, it had resolved,” recalls the 56-year-old from Spring Hill, TN. Like most of us would, he booked an appointment just to

Hello, My Name is Michael D Russell, and I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009, and yes, life changed. Prior to my MS diagnosis, I concentrated on working, traveling, living life to the fullest, and having a good time. How has life changed, you wonder? As we all know, our physical ability changes as MS progresses, which has refocused my vision of life. My purpose now is to help others on their MS journey by sharing how I changed and adapted to our new life. I have

I received my diagnosis of MS in Scotland in 1998, after 5 years of living in limbo, not having a diagnosis. Back then it seemed to be the norm not to disclose to patients as it was felt that knowing could exacerbate the condition; MS thrives on stress. The consultant said to me, “so, if I have to put a name to this, I’ll say its mild MS.” He then immediately turned to my husband and said, “So you’re in the Navy, what do you do?” Shell shocked, I stood in disbelief, steam rol

Sometimes the right connection comes out of nowhere. That’s what happened with me and Atom St George. We’ve never met in person. We live on opposite sides of the world. Different time zones, different daily lives, different struggles but one thing tied us together MS. We both live with it. Different symptoms, different battles but the same shadow following us around every day. Atom paints. I write. Simple as that. But what made this so powerful is how those two things collide

The stage is the only place where I feel truly free. Free from the weight of MS, free from the noise of anxiety, free from the shadows of depression. For those minutes under the lights, I’m not trapped by a diagnosis or defined by a struggle, I’m just me. In everyday life, there are limits. My body doesn’t always do what I want. Fatigue can stop me mid day. Pain can make even the simplest things feel like a battle. But on stage, the words carry me. It’s like the weight lifts

People see the performance, the mic, they hear the  words, feel the the delivery. They don’t see the fight it takes to even reach the stage. For me, performing poetry isn’t just about what happens in the spotlight, it’s about everything it takes to get there. Living with multiple sclerosis means nothing comes simple. The journey to a venue takes planning. Will it be accessible? How many steps are there? Is there somewhere I can sit before going on? These are questions most pe

When I was first diagnosed with MS, I was put on Lemtrada. It was my first disease modifying therapy (DMT), and at the time, I thought it was my ticket to slowing the disease down, maybe even taking control again. And for a while, it did its job. It gave me hope, a sense that maybe I could keep living life without constant setbacks. But 18 months after my Lemtrada infusions, the relapses came back. And this time, they left their mark. I started to feel the decline creeping in

The early days of diagnosis are a blur I’ll never forget. It was like waking up in a body I didn’t recognise, with rules I hadn’t agreed to. One day I was carrying on like usual, the next I was staring at my hands, my legs, my energy, wondering why they wouldn’t play along. Nothing made sense. And the more I tried to push through it, the harder it pushed back. You don’t just get handed MS and carry on. There’s a grieving process. You grieve the future you thought you had. The

MS doesn’t just hit the person diagnosed, it hits everyone around them. My wife, my kids, they feel the ripple effects every single day. Some days I’m exhausted, drained, and fighting just to keep moving, and they see it. They notice when I struggle to do things I used to take for granted. It’s tough because I want to shield them from the worst of it. I want my kids to grow up seeing a dad who’s strong, not someone limited by illness. But I also know they need honesty, they n

Who Am I Now? Before MS, work was more than a job, it was part of who I was. I was a kitchen fitter, I was good at and I was proud of it. It gave me purpose, routine, and a sense of identity. When MS came along, it flipped that on its head. Suddenly, the things I could once do without thinking became mountains to climb, and I had to face the painful question, Who am I without the work I once knew? Losing the ability to work in the same way felt like losing a part of myself. I

I’ve always said it: Beneath The Tracksuit there’s more going on than most people see. Books, spoken word, advocacy, these are the pillars that hold me up, and this site is where they finally come together in one place. I built this space for three reasons: 1. To tell the story properly. Social media is fast, messy, and gone tomorrow. Here, I can share the raw truth, the poems, the process, the pieces of life with MS that don’t fit into a 60-second video. 2. To build a home.