Physician Overcomes Multiple Sclerosis; Inspires Others – a Patient’s story - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Information, and resources

Dr. Francis Biagioli, who was diagnosed with MS in December 2000, recently became president of the Oregon Medical Association.

By:

Diane Lund-Muzikant

June 10, 2013 – Fear engulfed Dr. Frances Biagioli when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after noticing some strange feelings in her left leg, as if her knee would give out. A young mother with two children under the age of 3, she knew the disease could leave her paralyzed. She feared the loss of independence, being a burden, losing her cognitive ability.

“I am now a patient, the tables are turned,” she wrote, shortly after being diagnosed. “My medical knowledge doesn’t help. It hurts. The doctors assume I do not need the explanations. I can adequately answer my family’s questions. I do not need hand-holding. I think of the patient who is stunned by his/her new diagnosis, hears nothing of what the doctor says, and has a million remaining questions. I understand.”

The treatment she endured was painful, as she injected medicine into her thigh with a long cold needle, her muscle twitching involuntarily. “A medication that is the only hope. A chance to improve long-term disability. This only hope instills fear. I think of the diabetic who self-punctures several times a day. I understand.”

It’s been 13 years since Biagioli learned she had MS. Today she has only mild symptoms, occasional fatigue. For that she’s thankful. An activist, she joined her colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (a state senator who also has MS) in the Mud Run sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “I think it’s hopeful — especially for people who are recently diagnosed — to know there are people who aren’t in wheelchairs who have MS,” she said.

What’s more the experience has given her a much deeper understanding of how her patients feel when they’re told similar news. “Your mind shuts down when you hear the bad stuff,” said Biagioli, a family physician who practices at OHSU’s Gabriel Park Family Health Center. “Now I’m able to connect with a wider variety of people, I can see things from their viewpoint, having been in their shoes, and from a personal perspective telling them how I made it through. Multiple sclerosis is very unpredictable. One minute you’re fine, the next you might not be able to walk.” ”

Biagioli has also become a leader in Oregon’s medical community. At 45, she’s one of the youngest physicians to become president of the Oregon Medical Association, and is inspiring others to make a difference.