The Other Side of MS

Dr__Mary_Hughes_Podcast_--rec01-cmurphy@sjmalaw.com

Dr. Mary Hughes has spent decades treating multiple sclerosis, researching it, advocating around it, and helping shape the future of MS care. But long before MS became her professional focus, it became personal. Two of her sisters were diagnosed with the disease nearly thirty years apart, forcing Dr. Hughes to live in the uncomfortable space between neurologist and sister, between clinical expertise and the reality that sometimes even the expert cannot protect the people she loves. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Dr. Hughes reflects on what those diagnoses changed inside her, how they shaped the direction of her career, and the emotional tension of spending a lifetime helping families navigate a disease she still cannot fully control herself. The conversation also explores the racial disparities that existed for decades in MS diagnosis and care, including the long-held belief that African Americans rarely developed MS. Dr. Hughes discusses how those assumptions delayed diagnoses, limited access to treatment, and forced difficult conversations inside both medicine and advocacy organizations. Dr. Hughes completed her internship and neurology residency at Emory University and later trained in Electrophysiology at the Medical College of Georgia. She founded the Augusta MS Center in 2002 and later served as Division Chair for Neurology at Greenville Health System, where she helped expand neurological care and develop curriculum for the system's medical school. From 2008 to 2019, she served on the National MS Society Board of Trustees and chaired the African American Advisory Committee. She was inducted into the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Health Professionals Volunteer Hall of Fame in 2015 and continues to advocate for greater access to care, clinical trials, and patient education through her work at Premier Neurology. This is a conversation about medicine, family, advocacy, uncertainty, and what happens when your life's work becomes inseparable from the people you love. Support the Mission: If you would like to support the mission of the National MS Society, you can support one of the individuals who ride for MS at https://www.theothersideofms.com/about-bike-ms [https://www.theothersideofms.com/about-bike-ms]. They ride for MS. Your donation fuels the mission.

S4_E6: Rachael Fenich - Facing MS Together

Rachael has seen multiple sclerosis from more than one angle. Her husband lives with it. So do other members of her family. Over time, what she thought she understood about MS has changed in ways she didn't expect. In this conversation, Rachael talks about what MS actually looks like inside a marriage. The parts you don't see. The things that don't get said. What happens when one person is "house planting" and the other is trying to understand how to respond. They talk about communication, frustration, and the quiet ways both people hold things back to protect each other. Rachael also shares what changed when she faced her own autoimmune diagnosis, and how that shifted the way she understood what her husband had been carrying all along. This is not a story about inspiration. It's about learning how to live inside something you didn't choose, together. Rachael Fenich serves as the Executive Director of the Georgia Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Helpful Links * Donate to the Bike MS Georgia Ride [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/2748/donate] * Learn more about the Bike MS Passport Program [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/pages/6788] * Join Bike MS. Find a Ride Near You [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/pages/1230?language=en]

S4_E5: Mark Morabito | "You Didn't Sign Up for This"

Mark Morabito looked at his wife in a hospital room and told her she could leave. He had just been diagnosed with MS. And in his mind, he already knew how it would end. In this episode, Mark doesn't hold back. He talks about growing up watching his mom live with MS, believing it was a slow decline you couldn't escape. He shares the fear of becoming her, the regret of what he wishes he had known sooner, and the moment everything shifted. We push on the idea of "mind over matter." Because for some, that mindset feels empowering. For others, it feels like a lie. This is not a clean story. It's tension, contradiction, and truth in real time. What does it mean to fight a disease you can't control? And where is the line between strength and reality? Listen in. Support Mark in Walk MS: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/890235 [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/890235]

S4_E4: Justin Yuhaze - Some Days Are Tougher Than Others

"Some days are tougher than others." Justin Yuhaze was diagnosed with MS just days before the birth of his second daughter. In this episode, he talks about the months that followed, the symptoms he tried to hide, the depression he did not always want to name, and the moments that pushed him toward deeper conversations instead of avoiding them. Justin also shares what it has meant to raise two daughters who have only ever known him with MS and the choices he makes to stay active and present in their lives. Donate to Justin's Bike MS Fundraiser: Justin is riding in Bike MS: City to Shore Ride 2026 as the team captain of Muggles on a Mission. Help him reach his goal of raising $5,000 for the National MS Society. Support his fundraiser here: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/784914 [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/784914?referrer=mf%3A784914%3Afundraise-share-you]

S4_E3: Tyler Saldutti - Define Me By This

"People will abandon you. They will come up with whatever they need to justify it." Tyler was diagnosed with primary progressive MS in 2013, and the impact reshaped every part of his life. His marriage ended, relationships shifted, and the identity he built as a Division I athlete began to fall away. In this episode, Tyler talks about nine years of denial, the people who stepped back when MS became too heavy for them to hold, and the isolation that comes from realizing you do not get MS alone. He also shares what it is like to have two young daughters who now listen closely when an Ocrevus commercial comes on, trying to understand what the medication might mean for their dad. This is not a story about silver linings. This is a story about truth.