Steven Mirtsos has always been an active and athletic person, and a recent diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS) hasn't changed his outlook on life.
The 25-year-old Barrie resident was diagnosed with the chronic disease of the central nervous system in November 2020, saying he first noticed some changes in his physical health the previous spring with an issue with his left leg.
“I wasn’t walking normally. I had no balance and I couldn’t really walk up the stairs," he says. "I thought I had just pulled a muscle because with all of the gyms being closed, I was working out and running. Being an athlete my whole life I thought it was just a regular (pulled) muscle."
As spring turned into summer — and then summer into fall — his leg was not getting any better, he says, prompting him to book an appointment with his family doctor.
“He looked at me and then he called a favour into a neurologist. The neurologist saw me that day and he booked MRIs for me. On Nov. 1, he called me and said I had MS," Mirtsos says.
At that point, Mirtsos says he only knew a little bit about MS, adding he experienced a mix of emotions after getting that call.
“It was more disbelief. Being active and healthy my whole life, for it to just hit me?! I played rugby and football — both school teams and rec,” he says.
The diagnosis has changed his day-to-day life, Mirtsos says.
“My eating habits have changed. What I can eat and what bothers me … and just realizing what limitations I have with my body,” he says, adding while the disease affects everyone differently, for him, he finds exercise has helped boost his energy levels as well as his ability to concentrate and focus better.
Mirtsos has found getting involved with the local chapter of the MS Society — or any local peer support group — has helped him learn more about his “new normal” and recommends anyone finding themselves in the same shoes he was in three years ago should do the same.
“I have some experience in politics … so my first thing was how can I volunteer to make a difference within the MS community. Within five months of getting diagnosed, I was volunteering with the MS Society. I knew that I could make a difference by sharing my story and helping others overcome the challenges that come with a diagnosis,” he says.
Those challenges don’t just impact the individual who was diagnosed, but also their loved ones, Mirtsos says.
“Joining a community that understands what is going on was a big thing. It doesn’t matter how supportive your family or friends are, they will never completely understand what you are going through. By joining a community of like-minded people you will feel what you’re going through is understood," he adds.
Mirtsos is also a member of the Barrie MS Walk committee, an annual fundraising event to build awareness for multiple sclerosis and the MS Society of Canada.
Money raised from the event helps ensure that people affected by MS receive quality access and support that they need. The goal for this year’s event — scheduled for 11 a.m., Sunday, May 28 at the Southshore Centre in Barrie — is to raise $70,000.
Mirtsos says he's refusing to allow his diagnosis from achieving his goals and taking on new challenges, including a recent run for Barrie city council in last fall’s municipal election. Although he may not have won a seat, he hopes that will serve as an example to not give up.
“Just because you have a disability or something that is going on in your life, like MS, it doesn’t hinder you from achieving your goals and achieving anything you want to accomplish in your life," he says. "Just because you have MS, your life doesn’t stop.
"In the beginning, you may feel like your life is over, but it’s not. You are still able to achieve anything you want to if you put your mind to it still. One of the big things with the MS Society and being part of it, is that it showed me that anything is possible. Having a like-minded community …. is the greatest thing you can be a part of.”
