Escondido educator meets challenge of MS

ESCONDIDO — “Don’t give up … don’t ever give up” — Jim Valvano.

The motivational quote is one of several on Tom Winter’s email tag. Despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago and recently restricted to a wheelchair, he remains a teacher and girls golf coach at Escondido High.

Winter played football and golf in college. For six years, he paced the Cougars sidelines as a football coach. He coached boys golf for five years. He grew up playing golf, regularly hitting the links. But about 10 years ago, something happened to his body. He felt weakness in his limbs, numbness in his hands. He had trouble holding a pencil.

“It was weird,” said the 41-year-old world history teacher. “I didn’t know what it was. Physically, I couldn’t pick things up.”

Winter, who is in his 12th year as girls golf coach, went to see a doctor. At the time, Winter was told it could be one of eight ailments. The only way to narrow it down would be to do a spinal tap. Winter declined. Two years passed. Again, he was at school when he started feeling poorly and returned home. He tried to climb the stairs in his house, but his legs wouldn’t cooperate. He couldn’t lift his legs and ended up sprawled on the floor.

“I’m lying on the ground and the dog is licking me,” he said.

Winter crawled over to the phone and called his wife. He returned to see the doctor, this time agreeing to the spinal tap. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure. He is off all medication and is trying herbal supplements.

Winter is sensitive to weather highs and lows. If the temperature rises above 90 degrees, it zaps his energy. Teaching in an air-conditioned classroom works for him. It also negatively affects him if the temperature drops below 50 degrees.

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