The Other Side of MS

Hosted by Casey Murphy

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The Other Side of MS isn't here to inspire you—it's here to tell the truth. This podcast gives voice to the raw, unfiltered stories of people living with multiple sclerosis—the ones you rarely hear. Hosted by longtime MS advocate Casey Murphy, each episode pulls back the curtain on the emotional, invisible, and often uncomfortable realities of MS. From navigating public spaces with incontinence, to losing careers, marriages, or mobility, these aren't just stories of strength—they're stories of being human. We don't chase silver linings. We hold space for pain, for humor, for grief, for resilience—and for the voices that deserve to be heard without being sanitized or simplified. If you're ready for a podcast that doesn't sugarcoat the experience of living with MS, this is it. This is The Other Side of MS.

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60 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 837 min

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

May 28, 2026Episode 742 min

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. They ride for MS. Your donation fuels the mission.

May 14, 2026Episode 627 min

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 Learn more about the Bike MS Passport Program Join Bike MS. Find a Ride Near You

April 30, 2026Episode 541 min

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

April 23, 2026Episode 424 min

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

April 16, 2026Episode 332 min

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.

April 9, 202643 min

S4_E2: Tiffany - If It Don't Align, I Decline

This is the MS story people are not ready for. And that is exactly why you need to hear it. Tiffany opens up about the diagnosis that broke her plans, the marriage that had to be rebuilt, the faith that almost collapsed, and the moment she hit the floor and wondered if her family would be better off without her. This is not a polished MS story. This is the real one. Where to Find Tiffany Official Website: https://www.tiffanyavinson.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tiffanyavinson

April 2, 2026Episode 130 min

S4_E1: No Two Days Alike - Selena's navigating MS From Both Sides of Care

In this Season 4 premiere, clinician and MS patient Selena shares her powerful story of navigating multiple sclerosis from both sides of care. She opens up about the early symptoms she hid, the fear and uncertainty of diagnosis, the grief of losing her former self, and the daily reality behind the phrase "no two days are alike." Listeners will hear what MS looks like through the eyes of a medical provider, how cycling and community support her healing, and why talking openly about the "new normal" is essential for anyone living with MS. This episode offers real insight, real emotion, and a rare dual perspective you won't hear anywhere else. Explore Selena's podcast, MS Wired: https://linktr.ee/mswired.podcast Explore Selena's MS Fundraisers: Bike MS: Breakaway to the Keys 2026: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Selena-Buongiorno-BikeMS2026 Walk MS: West Palm Beach 2026: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/766159

August 25, 2025Episode 2124 min

S3_E21: Ursula - The Marathon Before MS, The Ride After

Running Into MS with Ursula Forrester Ursula has always been a runner - marathons, half-marathons, and miles that measured more than distance. But in October 2014, after years of unexplained symptoms, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Suddenly, endurance meant something entirely different. She is a wife, a mother of two, and a professional in advertising who still chooses to see the glass half full. But behind that optimism lies the daily reality of MS modifying, compensating, and sometimes surrendering to the fatigue that doesn't show up on finish line photos. Ursula and her family created the Mill Chill, a local race that has raised more than $150,000 for the MS Society, and in 2023 they added Bike MS to their journey, forming Team Mighty Strong. In this episode, Ursula reflects on running marathons, building a community through fundraising, and what it really means to balance resilience with honesty. Her story is not just about crossing finish lines, but about redefining what strength looks like when MS becomes part of the course. This isn't just a runner's story. It's about family, identity, and the power of creating a movement bigger than yourself. You too can make a difference, please donate to Ursula's MS Fundraiser: https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/620535

August 18, 2025Episode 2041 min

S3_E20: Steve - Both Sides of the Bed: A Trauma Nurse Living with MS

Steve: From Trauma Nurse to MS Warrior Steve was 30 years old, working as a travel nurse in Idaho, when numbness crept up his leg and refused to go away. A ski accident had rattled his body, but what scans revealed was something else entirely: lesions on his brain and spine. In 2002, Steve entered a world he had once only witnessed from the other side of the hospital bed, the world of multiple sclerosis. As a trauma nurse, Steve knew the language of medicine. But living it was different. He walked away from graduate school, leaned on his family in Colorado, and began reshaping his life around the uncertainty of MS. Over the years, he has worked across ERs, ICUs, and trauma centers, all while navigating his own invisible symptoms and treatments. He's also become a force in the MS community, leading a Bike MS team that has raised over $1 Million for research and support. In this episode, Steve reflects on what it means to live on both sides of the diagnosis, as the nurse who explains and the patient who endures. He shares the fear, the gratitude, and the hard choices MS demands, as well as the quiet resilience of a man who calls himself "one of the lucky ones." This isn't just a story about MS. It's a story about medicine, identity, and the power of showing up for a community when you don't have to, but choose to anyway.