According to an article from Vanguard, only a year after Pat and Ken were married, Ken was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He was 29 years old. They had planned to wait for Pat to finish with college before trying to have any children, but his diagnosis changed their timeline.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the myelin sheath, which is an insulating layer that covers nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, is destroyed. The damage to the myelin sheath impairs the ability of the nervous system to communicate. This can result in a range of symptoms such as muscle weakness, sensory issues, blindness in one eye, double vision, poor coordination, and psychiatric issues. The effects tend to manifest either in episodic relapses, or build up over time to become progressively more severe. Cause of the condition is uncertain, although research suggests that the immune system itself mistakenly attacks the sheath. There is no cure, although there are several treatments that can be helpful for symptoms. To learn more about this disease, click here.
For Pat and Ken, they decided to start to try to have a child earlier than they had originally planned. The condition has been shown to affect fertility in some sufferers. Ironically, Pat appeared to be the one dealing with fertility problems. After six months of trying, the couple had no success. Soon, nearly a year had passed with no luck. Meanwhile, many of Pat’s classmates were getting pregnant and having children. It became apparent that Pat’s irregular ovulation and menstruation cycles and Ken’s MS may have both been playing a factor.
