Fort Bend resident with MS hopes to inspire others

On April 20 and 21, Fort Bend County resident Vicki Williams will participate in her 30th BP MS 150 Ride. A marathon runner, triathlete and part-time health club employee, Williams has ridden in MS rides across Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

This years ride, however, will be much different than previous ones for Williams. After years of cycling and living an enviably active lifestyle, Williams herself has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

In 2003, Williams began seeing colors while she ran. Hearing loss and other health problems arose. Despite years of participating in MS rides, the idea that she might have multiple sclerosis never crossed her mind.

It was 2003, May 10, and I was running, and I started seeing colors in the corners of my eyes, Williams said. All along that same time, I was having a lot of issues with my left side. I never really put it all together, but my left leg wasnt cooperating like the rest of my body.

Numbness in her foot led her to a podiatrist, and then knee problems led her to visit her orthopedic doctor. Nothing the doctors tried helped her, however, and all of her symptoms were thought to have been caused by her constant physical activity.

I kept going to all these different doctors, but nobody thought it was MS. I was so involved with the MS organization too, but I never in a million thought I would end up with this disease, Williams said. I was having a really hard time with my hearing, which is not a top-ten symptom of MS. My regular ENT [Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor] thought it was just allergies, but then I started having problems with my eyes.

Eventually, Williamss hearing problems became so severe that she was sent to Memorial Hermann to visit another ENT, who performed an MRI in 2009.

He came back and sat me down and said there was good news and bad news. The good news was that there were no cysts or growths in my brain area, Williams said. The bad news was that I had what looked like MS lesions. I was by myself that day too, but I knew enough about MS to know that once those lesions show up that its not good.

The news was hard for Williams and her husband to handle. Although she had been experiencing gradual changes in her workout since 2003, the diagnosis was difficult for her and her husband to accept. Their relationship has been maintained throughout the diagnosis, but the limitations it has put on her make every day a challenge for the once active athlete.

My whole life changed. I had been noticing since about 2003 that I couldnt do as much, and I got tired faster. There were some points where Id turn to my boss and say, my legs just stopped moving, Williams said. I think the biggest issue for me was the word cant. I cant run like that anymore, I cant cycle like that anymore. Nowadays, my spine hurts me so much I cant run at all, and that was really hard for me. Thank god for the cycling though, because without it I dont know what Id do. The cycling is what keeps me feeling alive.

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Fort Bend resident with MS hopes to inspire others