Living with MS
- CNN chief correspondent John King, 61, who first joined the network in 1997, has been persevering for over 15 years since his MS diagnosis — and managing symptoms for 25, as he continues coverage into this year’s big Election Night.
- The award-winning anchor and father of three has said he hasn’t felt his legs since Bill Clinton is president, yet he hasn’t let it stop his love for journalism and bringing political news to his viewers.
- There is no cure for MS and affects everyone differently, but people battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms. Common tools MS patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) is the most common type of MS among the million people battling the disease in the United States like John King, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. If you are feeling persistent numbness and tingling, it is important to take note of the symptoms you are experiencing, how frequently you are experiencing them, and report it to your doctor.
Speaking to NIH Medline Plus magazine in 2022, King said it took about a decade of symptoms before figuring out what was wrong, and it wasn’t until a presidential election he was covering in 2008 that he finally got his answer after a paramedic suggested he might have the degenerative disease.
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Taking Time to Go Public with His Diagnosis
King kept the diagnosis to himself for 13 years, but finally started speaking out after the pandemic hit. Like many millions of others, he was frustrated with what was going on around him, especially being immunocompromised.
The father of three first announced his news on CNN, live on the air in 2021. His ex-wife Dana Bash, a CNN anchor with whom he shares his youngest child Jonah, 13, commended his decision to disclose his news to the public, “Very proud of John King,” Bash, 53, who was married to King from 2008-2012 and took over his spot on Inside Politics last year, wrote alongside an Instagram clip.
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Admitting he was “full of fear” after learning what he was facing knowing full well what the “cruel disease” is capable of, King recalled how his doctors were “fairly optimistic that he had the “relapse-remitting” type of MS. “The hope was that with medication, this form of MS could be managed.”
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Sending an uplifting message and reminder to others going through it, the All Over the Map podcast host shared:
“Remember the gifts we get from the challenges. Many days are frustrating or worse. But the human brain and body are remarkable in how they adapt to the fight.”
“The resilience and tenacity it takes to fight MS are great skills for other challenges,” adding King, who is known for his “Magic Wall” polling coverage on CNN, which was first introduced in 2008.
The former White House correspondent for the network has continued to cover the 2024 presidential cycle with hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, playing a “prominent role in CNN’s coverage of major events,” along with Election Night, a June press statement shares.
Learning About MS — What Are the Different Types?
There is no cure for MS and affects everyone differently, but people battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the United States like John King, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
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- Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
- Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of M.S. that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.
Managing MS
Common tools MS patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).
A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “has been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”
Research published in Frontiers in Neurology last year says autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) (also called bone marrow transplantation, with autologous meaning a patient’s own cells) used for multiple sclerosis therapy helps “reset the immune system.” Several studies and clinical trials using AHSCT have shown promise.
If you are struggling to process a recent diagnosis, here are some other inspiring stories on SNTV of people, like John King, learning to overcome their own hardships — to hopefully serve as inspiration for you.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with MS or may be concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions:
- Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option to manage my symptoms do you recommend for me?
- Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
- What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
- Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
- Are there any support groups you recommend to help me cope?
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