For exactly half of her life, Pangman resident Debbie Kessler has lived under the mistaken belief that she was a victim of multiple sclerosis; now, in light of proof provided by an MRI scan that she does not have MS, she has a dream to walk again und
For exactly half of her life, Pangman resident Debbie Kessler has lived under the mistaken belief that she was a victim of multiple sclerosis; now, in light of proof provided by an MRI scan that she does not have MS, she has a dream to walk again under her own power.
The 62-year-old woman was told in 1980, and had it confirmed by successive doctors, that she had MS, and indeed, as the years passed, she grew gradually worse in her ability to walk, fully consistent with someone who has the disease. At first she was able to walk fine, then she was limping and dragging her foot, and later had to use a cane as she had balance problems.
She took six weeks of therapy at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre on her legs, which she admits did help her some, and then in December of 1987 she went to an MS clinic in Portland, Ore., for more therapy.
Debbie came home was fine for a while, but eventually had to resort to using a scooter to get around. Her brother John was diagnosed with MS in 2009, and he went to Phoenix, Ariz., to get a treatment where they cleaned his jugular veins; he saw improvement from the treatment, so Debbie was interested in getting the same treatment to see if it might help her.
She visited her neurologist in Regina to talk to him about the possibility of getting this treatment, and he asked when Debbie last had an MRI done. She admitted she has never had one, and was reluctant to have one since she "knew" she had MS . The doctor booked her in for March, and a month later went to Dr. Werner Oberholzer to go over the report from the scan, and to talk about the possibility of getting the veins treatment.
The first thing he noticed was that the MRI recorded no brain lesions, which are a prime indicator of multiple sclerosis; he asked what her physical problems were, and after describing them, Dr. Oberholzer replied, "I know why. There are two discs in the back of your neck which were injured, which control your legs and balance. I don't believe you have MS."
Thinking back over her life, there was one incident where she believes this injury might have occurred. Growing up in a farmhouse in the Khedive area, the house was heated by a coal furnace with a large register in the front, and she and her family would gather around it in the winter to keep warm.
"When I was in my early teens, I can remember after leaving the register, as I was going into the kitchen, I fainted and hit my head on a cement chimney. Mom put me in her bed and watched me all day. I was okay and life went on," she said, estimating this would have occurred around 1965 when she was 11 or 12 years old.
At first, Debbie kept this shocking discovery a secret, and didn't tell anyone outside of her immediate family until July, hoping that in the meantime she will get a date to have surgery to get her discs fixed.
Looking back over the 31 years in which she was convinced she had MS, she said she was fortunate that she didn't take some of the drugs which have been developed for the treatment of MS, except for one drug she took in the mid-80s.
"It helped me for about six months, then I went back to the way I was," said Debbie.
She added that some of the physiotherapy she received for her legs did help her, even if temporarily, and worries if the legs have been damaged by not being mobile for the last several years.
People who know Debbie have asked her if she's angry to find out after 31 years she really does not have multiple sclerosis, and she's told them no, she isn't.
"I said I have enough faith that I believe there's a reason for this. I would not have done what I have, and I would not have this job if I was capable of driving or walking," she said. Her job is working at the Deep South Personal Care Home as the activities coordinator, where she has worked since 2006. "I really have enjoyed what I'm doing, and you can't go back."
Asked if she will continue to work to support MS as a charitable cause, she said she will, as her brother John definitely has been confirmed as having MS, including attacks and brain lesions.
Debbie has been involved for years in selling Christmas cards for the MS Society, plus her daughter has participated in the MS walk for a number of years, and they plan to continue this support.
Meantime, it is her dream to walk again, and as if to confirm this, a number of her friends and family have dreamed of her walking again.
"As long as I get some independence back. I know I've got lots of work ahead of me in rehabilitation, but I've got something to work for," said Debbie, noting one concern is she had a bad infection in one leg a few years ago, and fears this may have damaged her leg.
As for dreams, she talked to her brother John to pass on the news of not having MS, he told her he dreamt two weeks before that she was walking.
In another case, some family visited here from Prince George, and one told her he had dreamt the other day of her walking.
Debbie recommends if anyone has a doubt about any medical condition, particularly one like MS, to make sure they look into it thoroughly and get any tests done that are possible.
"I didn't want to get that MRI, I thought it was a waste of money. I did it to please the doctor, and look what happened," she said.
Debbie is now awaiting a date to meet with her neurologist, and hopefully set a date for surgery to fix her discs.
