S4_E10: Brandon Deen | Don't Ask How I'm Doing If You're Not Prepared to Hear the Answer

S4_E10: Brandon Deen | Don't Ask How I'm Doing If You're Not Prepared to Hear the Answer

Brandon Deen knows what it feels like to be asked, "How are you?" without anyone truly wanting the answer. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while already living with PTSD and depression, he found himself navigating not only a chronic illness, but the loneliness of feeling unheard. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Brandon reflects on what happens when people show up for the diagnosis but disappear during the journey. He talks openly about mental health, military service, relationships, advocacy, and the difference between someone listening and someone truly hearing you. This is a conversation about isolation, finding your voice, and why one simple question, "How are you?" can mean everything when someone is willing to stay for the answer. Support Brandon's Bike MS NYC Fundraiser: If Brandon's story resonated with you, consider supporting his Bike MS NYC fundraising efforts. Every donation helps advance research, advocacy, and programs for people living with multiple sclerosis. Support Brandon's Bike MS NYC Fundraiser [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/BrandonDeenNYC?language=en&referrer=mf%3A810321%3Ayou-copy]

S4_E9: Bridget Longnecker – Navigating Uncertainty with Resilience

For months, Bridget Longnecker was told her symptoms were anxiety, hormones, or postpartum depression. Meanwhile, she was losing vision, mobility, speech, and trust in herself. In this episode of The Other Side of MS, Bridget shares the reality of searching for answers while being repeatedly dismissed by healthcare providers, the psychological toll of being told it's all in your head, and the moment she finally received the diagnosis that changed everything. The conversation explores fear, motherhood, invisible illness, self-doubt, and what happens when you begin questioning your own reality because nobody else seems willing to believe it. Bridget also opens up about the lasting emotional impact of MS, the uncertainty that still follows her today, and why stability doesn't always mean feeling safe inside your own body. This is a conversation about trust, credibility, and the hidden psychological weight of living with a disease that many people never fully see. Support Resource: If Bridget's perspective on navigating uncertainty, chronic illness, and mental health resonated with you, and you're in the New Port Richey, Florida area seeking support, you can learn more about her counseling practice at: https://compasscounselingandwellness.com/ [https://bridget-longnecker.clientsecure.me]

S4_E8: Bill Mooney | The Version That's Easiest to Celebrate

People tell Bill Mooney he handles MS well. But what happens when everyone sees the resilience and almost nobody sees the fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty underneath it? In this episode, Bill talks about the parts of multiple sclerosis that rarely make it into fundraising speeches, awareness campaigns, or everyday conversations. The pressure to stay positive. The fear that never completely leaves. The emotional cost of explaining an invisible disease. This is a conversation about what people celebrate, what they miss, and what it really means to live with MS when the crowd goes home. Support Bill's Mission: If Bill's story resonated with you, consider supporting his Walk MS fundraising efforts. Every donation helps advance research, advocacy, and programs for people living with MS. Support Bill's Walk MS Fundraiser Now [https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/766629]

S4_E7: Dr. Mary Hughes — When MS Stops Being Clinical

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]