Multiple sclerosis is a disease that does not discriminate and affects individuals of all ages, races and professions. While a diagnosis of MS can seem devastating, it does not have to stop you from living your life to the fullest and following your dreams. The following list of three professional athletes with MS proves that not only can individuals that suffer from MS lead normal, healthy lives but that they are also only limited by the scope of their imagination and ambition.
Josh Harding
Josh Harding is the goaltender for the Minnesota Wild hockey team. He started his professional career playing for the Houston Aeros in the American Hockey League in 2004. In 2006, he was moved to the Minnesota Wild hockey team. He was diagnosed with MS officially in November of 2012 after having kept the disease a secret for over a month. He has been playing with the NHL and the Minnesota Wild since his move to the team and Harding has received multiple awards during his career. Rather than letting MS affect his performance, outlook or career, Josh Harding went on to have the best season of his career in the 2012-2013 year. Harding was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2013. He also is the founder of a charity, called Harding's Hope, that helps patients of MS pay for necessary medications.
Chris Wright
Chris Wright is a professional basketball player that currently plays for ASVEL Basket in the French league. Following his diagnosis, Wright became the first player in the history of the NBA known to have MS. Chris Wright has played for a number of teams including the New Orleans Hornets, the Iowa Energy and the Mavericks. He also played basketball in Turkey as part of the Turkish Basketball League. Wright was told while playing in Turkey, immediately following his diagnosis that his career was over. He was determined not to let his disease hold him back and went on to spend a season with the Dallas Mavericks. He also signed short-term contracts with the San Antonio Spurs and the Brooklyn Nets before signing his current contract with the ASVEL Basket in France. Wright credits being an athlete and living a healthy, active lifestyle to a major part of his success in managing MS.
Kelly Sutton
NASCAR driver Kelly Sutton was diagnosed with MS well before her career as a professional race car driver began. Kelly started racing cars at the young age of 10 and was diagnosed at the age of 16. Kelly Sutton was the first known NASCAR driver to have the disease, Trevor Bane was diagnosed in 2013 with MS. Kelly Sutton did not let her MS diagnosis at 16 change her dreams and she began her professional career in 1992 at Old Dominion Speedway. Kelly holds the record for the most races run by a female in the Craftsman Truck series and she has also won awards including Most Popular Driver at both Old Dominion Speedway and at the Allison Legacy Series. In addition to Most Popular Driver, Kelly was the first woman to win the Allison Legacy Series in 1997. Though Sutton's last race was in 2007, she continues work on her charity, the Let It Shine Foundation which is dedicated to raising awareness for and helping those affected with MS.
These three accomplished professional athletes are just a small sample of people with MS who have done incredibly things. Living a health and active lifestyle helps to manage systems and can help you to achieve your dreams.