Craig was in the prime of his life – his early 30s – when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The news hit him hard, especially after the physician who diagnosed him painted such a bleak picture – telling him to find a less physical job and to prepare for a sedentary life. Looking back, Craig says he fell into a quiet depression that he kept hidden from everyone, even his wife.
Fortunately, several years later, he saw Dr. Mary Ann Picone, Medical Director of the MS Center at Holy Name, and found hope. Craig credits Dr. Picone with pulling him out of that initial darkness. She explained that though he was living with a relapsing, remitting disease, he was never alone. She and her team would always be there to help him navigate his condition, especially during flare-ups.
"Dr. Picone made me feel like my life wasn't over," Craig said.
"Dr. Picone made me feel like my life wasn't over," Craig said. "She had me focus on the life I could live if I stuck to my treatment and protocol."
More than 16 years later, Craig still relies on Dr. Picone's expertise and care, even though he lives more than an hour from the Medical Center.
"I pass hospitals and neurologists, plenty on my way to Holy Name, but I've never considered going anywhere else," he said.
The effort has been well worth it. Under Dr. Picone's care, he's experienced a relapse only once every three to four years and they have been brought under control within a month or two.
Still, when COVID-19 hit, Craig was concerned that his MS might make him more susceptible to the virus. He reached out to Dr. Picone, who assured him his risk wasn't any higher than the general population and to continue living his life as normally as possible, following general COVID safety guidelines.
Craig followed her advice, still walking miles before sitting down to work for a nonprofit each day. But about a month later, when a dull pain in his leg didn't abate, he reached out to Dr. Picone via email. He wasn't expecting a quick response considering it was April 2020, and COVID was raging but much to his surprise, within a day her team set up a telehealth appointment. As he feared, Craig was having a relapse.
"I thought to myself, 'Now? In the middle of all this?' But they were like superheroes. I put the signal out there and they responded right away," Craig said.
Getting an appointment the next day for an infusion treatment made him feel cared for, despite the exploding world health crisis. He was astonished that even though so many people had health struggles much greater than his, Dr. Picone's team still made his treatment a priority.
Just two and a half weeks after receiving the infusion, his MS exacerbation was under control. It was his shortest time ever for a recovery.
"My MS could have flared up at any time, but it happened during COVID," he said. "If this was a test, Holy Name passed with flying colors."
