Voiceover 

Welcome to The Raw Nerve, the official podcast of MS Australia, a conversation space for all things multiple sclerosis. Join us for news and views on the latest research, treatments and advocacy efforts, as well as candid and informative interviews with our community, those living with MS and their families and carers, together with leading clinicians, researchers and advocates. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Hello. Welcome to The Raw Nerve. I’m your host, Jeremy Henderson. Today we mark International Men’s Health Week, an annual event observed in mid-June which aims to increase awareness of male health issues globally. In Australia, Men’s Health Week, as it’s known, promotes and supports the health and wellbeing of men and boys in our communities. Alongside physical health, the focus is also on men’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. 

Joining us in the studio, today’s guests are Chris Brady from Victoria, who will tell us about the sport of Boccia and his journey. Welcome, Chris.  

Chris Brady  

Thank you, Jeremy.  

Jeremy Henderson 

Our second guest is Alex McKay, a small business owner from Queensland and a member of MS Australia’s Lived Experience Expert Panel, the LEEP. Welcome, Alex. 

Alex McKay 

Hey team, how we’re doing? 

Jeremy Henderson 

Both our guests live with MS, are listeners of The Raw Nerve Podcast, and were both really keen to participate in this episode and to share their stories. Now, I wonder if I could start by asking you both just to briefly introduce yourself to our listeners. Maybe if we could start with you, Alex. 

Alex McKay 

Yeah, awesome. Hi, everyone. My name’s Alex. I live on the Gold Coast. And I was diagnosed with MS four years ago, through an incidental finding. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thank you, Alex. Chris? 

Chris Brady 

Yeah. Hi, everybody. My name’s Chris. I’ve had MS for 30 years. I live by myself in a two-bedroom unit in Preston, Victoria.  

Jeremy Henderson 

Welcome, Chris. Now, I know that you both have very different MS stories and journeys, and I wonder if you’re comfortable and happy to share a little bit about your MS diagnosis. Alex, again, if I can start with you, you talked about an accidental diagnosis. I wonder if you can tell me a little bit about that. 

Alex McKay 

Yeah. So, four years ago I was playing, AFL, just local club footy, and I got a concussion during the game, and I went on to get MRIs to get clearance to go back and play. GP got the results and said that he recommended I see a neurologist in the coming weeks.  

I went to private and saw a neurologist and sat me and my mother down in that appointment and said, “We don’t need to go any further. We can get you a spinal tap and things like that. But if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s a duck and I’m confident in saying that you have MS.”  

So that was a bit of a tough pill to swallow at the time. And yeah, being asymptomatic at the time, like, I just had a tremor in my hands and put that down to being…not eating enough, drinking too much coffee, those sort of things. Yeah. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Concussion. Never a good thing.  

Alex McKay 

No 

Jeremy Henderson 

But this was. Well, and you wouldn’t have… obviously didn’t receive the news as such, but looking back, I guess it was fortuitous that you got that MRI and you got that diagnosis and possibly got to that diagnosis a little quicker. If you hadn’t been concussed, if you hadn’t had the MRI and if you’d dismissed those symptoms. 

Alex McKay 

Yeah, one hundred per cent. If I, as you said, I’m, I’m thankful that I had a concussion, but in one way, not the other. But yeah, I’m pretty progressed through the demyelination sort of side of it. So it was, it was eager to get me sort of rolling down that path. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thank you, Alex. Chris, I wonder if you can talk to me a little bit about your diagnosis.  

Chris Brady 

Yeah. I woke up one morning. I think it was the 4th of July 2005. And I couldn’t really see. Looked like I was looking through clouds and I couldn’t really walk. So, eventually went to the doctor. Then I went to the Northern Hospital. They weren’t sure, so they sent me to the Austin. And then it was just a process of elimination of what things that it’s not. 

And so, they eventually did the MRI and the MRI confirmed, so yeah, I’ve got MS as well. When you get told that, you track it back. Sort of things that were happening to you and I’d tracked it back to 1994 when I had my first episode of optic neuritis. So double vision. 

So yeah, and I was diagnosed in 2005, but I go back to ‘94. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Wow. And how…when you were going through that diagnosis process, how unsettling was that knowing you had symptoms but while you were in that period of time when they didn’t know what it was had, how hard was that, Chris?  

Chris Brady 

That was yeah, very unsettling, sitting in…in a hospital bed. And they didn’t really…couldn’t give you any answers as to what was wrong. So, in a way, I think I was starting to freak out a little bit. So…wondering what’s going on. 

Jeremy Henderson 

I see you nodding, Alex. How was that process for you? I guess that period of uncertainty when they were, when you know there’s something wrong, when you’re trying to track it down. 

Alex McKay 

Yeah. Well, for me it was just all written down. So, from that Qscan report, so, your radiology report saying, “shows signs of multiple sclerosis” and then waiting that two weeks to go in and see the neurologist was just…I didn’t know how to process that. And the instant shock of that, was definitely a lot, to process. 

Chris Brady 

Yeah, it is, a quite…quite a shocking process to go through. You know, when they tell you that we’re fairly sure that you have MS. 

Jeremy Henderson 

And when they told you that Chris, what did you, what did you know about MS at that stage? 

Chris Brady 

The only thing I ever knew about MS, was I remember in grade two doing the MS Readathon, and that was all I ever knew about MS. Until like, diagnosis. And then obviously, yeah what I’ve gone through. But yeah, that’s all I ever knew about it. I didn’t really know about the disease or anything.

Jeremy Henderson 

And. And how about you, Alex? 

Alex McKay 

Yeah. Well, for myself, I, I grew up cycling with my parents. There’s a fundraiser in Brisbane for neurological conditions, and that’s called the Brissie to the Bay and as a family, we had done that a few times. We didn’t really know what the image of MS or living with MS was like, I saw it as an older person’s sort of, condition and mainly women, but I just from there, I didn’t know the full capacity of it or what it would actually look like. 

Jeremy Henderson 

So, this week we’re marking, Men’s Health Week, and as I said, that focus on men’s health and also mental health. I wonder, as both… as men living with MS, what you know, obviously health and men’s health and also good mental health are both things that you’re…I imagine both very interested in and very invested in. What does…what does it mean to you in terms of importance? 

Alex McKay 

So, for myself, early on, the mental health was a real struggle, at being asymptomatic, I, I saw myself as a fit young man, still playing football. But with that diagnosis, I wasn’t able to mentally show up to a game or put my head over a footy. So, I just withdrew from all of that. I had a great support network around me, but I, I was in denial for about a year before I went onto any treatments or anything like that. 

So, dealing with mental health and looking back now, I think doing the work to be stronger through mental health is very important. And doing the activities that I do each week that create that clarity within my head is so important. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Making that decision to sort of walk away from the sport, which was, so sort of integral to your life to that point. Alex, and such a big part, I guess, I imagine, of your identity, you know, how hard was that? 

Alex McKay 

Yeah, I just I enjoyed club footy. And I just it was my first year back at club footy. And the guys that I was around were great and I didn’t really know them that well. But when you’re in club footy, it’s a community and they really helped me process it and at a surface level, and some really started to check in on me because they could tell that there was something, something deeper that I was dealing with. So, it made it hard on the social side to keep showing up. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Chris, what does your support network look like in your community? 

Chris Brady 

Yeah. For me. Yeah, I’m in a really good place now, since I’ve joined the Coburg MS Peer Support Group. I’m part of them, and I’m part of another MS group…that…we meet online, and we’ve been doing that for about five years. That was started during Covid for people who had lived alone with MS during Covid, but we’ve, we’ve stayed in contact for like five years. 

So, I have a great network there of people that I can speak about MS. And…any symptoms or fluctuations that we’re going through. And yeah, I find that as well as like family and friends as well. So that you can talk to about anything that sort of, you know, playing on your mind sort of thing. 

But, no, I’m very happy with the network I’ve got. 

Jeremy Henderson 

I imagine that peer support group; being able to talk to your peers, people that are going through similar things to yourself, must give you great confidence in terms of knowing you’re not alone. And you can go to for advice.  

Chris Brady 

Yeah, that’s the main thing, actually. Fair enough. All of our symptoms might be mildly different, but we’re all going through the MS journey as well. So, we seem to have this strange…like understanding of how we’re all feeling about what we’re going through. And it’s just great to be able to speak to all these different people about…like what you’re experiencing as you’re going through…through life. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thanks, Chris. So obviously the peer support groups must be a great wealth of information and advice. Where else do you go, Alex, when you’re looking for information, advice about men’s health and about mental health, but particularly as it pertains to somebody living with MS? 

Alex McKay 

I find it difficult. Honestly, I go to the MS Australia website and MS Queensland website, and they’ve got a few guides there that help me. But as somebody that is still so physical in their lifestyle, I find that not, not one shoe fits all. So, I just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. 

So, I’m still very active, so I get out surfing and do those sort of things, and it’s just trying to find that balance between my fatigue management and the symptoms to what I can and can’t do. 

Jeremy Henderson 

How is your MS impacting on sort of your sporting endeavours now, Alex, you mentioned surfing that obviously relies on a degree of strength and balance and coordination and, and how is your MS sort of impacted your ability to surf? 

Alex McKay 

Definitely. Like I consider myself very lucky within the MS space to how I’ve been impacted in the last four years. And previously in life. The fatigue sensory issues are the main things that I’m dealing with. So, when it comes to surfing, like I can, I find myself that I can get out there and I can paddle and catch waves, but it’s as soon as I get back to shore and that that walk up the sand where I just really struggle to get those legs moving. 

And you see…sea surfing is you sitting out the back on your board just relaxing, with my mates, or even my old man. And as soon as I get to the shore, I’m just. I just can’t struggle to get up the beach some days. And yeah, just the time I’m out in the water has been reduced a fair bit, but we’ve just…we still show up. Definitely still show up and get it done. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Excellent. Now, Chris, arguably Alex is enjoying a better climate, up in Queensland than you are down in Melbourne. But I’m wondering in terms of, managing heat, is that an issue for you, and if so, how do you…how do you manage that over the warmer months? 

Chris Brady 

I’m getting, quite good these days. Because I have had what MS for 30 years now, and I’m also cold sensitive as well, so I’m sort of stuck in the middle of the hot heat and the cold, but I’ve been dealing with it for that long. I’m used to it, and I know exactly what I need to do when it’s getting warm and when it’s chilling down a fair bit. 

So yeah, I think I’ve just learnt over the years. How does like…know…find my happy space, like with temperature. And so, where I can still function because if you get a bit too warm, so yeah, you struggle to function properly. But yeah, I’ve found I seem to have found a pretty good space. It’s like a good temperature that I can deal with. 

Jeremy Henderson 

But you’re doing well living in Melbourne where you possibly getting…getting served a bit of cold and a bit of hot all in the same day, so… 

Chris Brady 

Well, yeah, it changes. It’s so, so unpredictable which way it’s going to go, but I think I’ve got a fair bit of experience with it now, and I know it’s like, no, you know what affects me. So, like heat wise and yeah. And then once we get to the cold temperatures, so I can know how far I can go down sort of thing. 

But yeah, I seem to become quite used to it now. So, I, you know, because I’ve just, I’m just, I’m in a really good spot. So, like, just knowing my body, it’s what I’ve been through. And so, you understand. So, what’s happening with the heat. And you know when you’re pushing it bit too far or anything like that. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thanks, Chris. Alex, I wonder if you can tell me a little bit about the day-to-day impact of, of your MS and how you manage. What does that look like? Understanding that it’s obviously very variable from one day to the next. 

Alex McKay 

Yeah, definitely. For me it’s…it does vary. Especially with the heat as, Chris was just saying.  

In Queensland, working in the job that I work, I work in the construction space and within, within roofing, so, I’m up on there and in the direct sunlight so I can start to feel when my body’s starting to go a bit haywire. And I know at that point I’ll have to get down and get to a safe spot.  

And for me, that’s sitting in my car for a while and just pumping that aircon and trying to cool that body down. And if I’ve only got a short amount of time left, I, I have a fridge in my car, so I’ve got a full ice, Inuteq ice vest that you see all the Formula One drivers and footy stars using during summer, and that sort of regulates my heat so that I can just get through my, reduced workload on those days. 

From there, it’s just coming home and sort of sitting down in front of the air con and playing games. 

Jeremy Henderson 

So just going back to what, what your day-to-day work life looks like. And just to underline that for our listeners. So, you’re up at great heights. You’re working on a roof. You’re doing work (that) obviously relies on a degree of skill, a degree of strength, a degree of balance. 

Alex McKay 

Definitely a good degree of balance. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Plenty of risk involved. And so, was there questions in your mind about your ability to, to maintain that kind of work life and that career and, and how conscious are you, I imagine you’re even more conscious of the dangers inherent in that job, particularly now? 

Alex McKay 

One hundred per cent. As something I’ve come to…not come to terms with, I’d say, just yet. It’s something I’m working on. I recently did a short course in project management so that if that time comes where my body does decline, a bit further, I am skilled enough to transition into a more of an office job role, because at the moment, working at those heights, walking from truss to trusses…a batten fixer, it is pretty dicey. 

And it… for someone living with MS it can be made even harder. So, with those symptoms it can become a bit hairy. But, once again, I am lucky. With my job, to have my father do the same role, so that if I’m struggling on the day to get all my workload done, he does come by. 

And sometimes the offer…really need a hand that I appreciate.  

Jeremy Henderson 

We…I’m curious Alex, working in construction. Have you noticed a growing awareness around accessibility for workers in the construction space or is that still sort of one of the last sort of bastions of progress, I guess? 

Alex McKay 

I think we’re within the more commercial side of things, when I talk to my mates in the commercial building sector that they are becoming a lot more accessible, say, ramp to site, so that you can get these different sorts of trades with disability onto site and working. It’s difficult within my space to have accessible roof systems. 

But my contractors understand that I have MS. And that some days aren’t like the next day. Then funnily enough, I started with a new contractor this week and found out his brother, the scheduler’s brother has MS. So that was a really nice connection to make. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Excellent.  

Chris. I understand you have some paralysis. And I imagine some experience with supports and adjustments around the house. I’m just curious to know what your experience has been like in terms of not just within the home, but in terms of accessible transport and buildings and spaces, what have you seen in your sort of journey in terms of better accommodations and an understanding of the need to provide adequate supports for people that require that kind of assistance? 

Chris Brady 

I’ve only just recently started going out in public, like going to football at the MCG, going to quite a few rock concerts and just, knowing… so the way things are set up out there for people in wheelchairs now. Now that actually makes it quite comfortable. And like, you have a lot of confidence actually going to places. 

Because you know that the places are well maintained and set up for wheelchairs. You’ve got toileting all of that for wheelchairs. But yeah, it took…took a little bit to get used to because I’m, I’m hemiplegic. So, the right…I’ve got paralysis right down the right side of my body, you know, because the scarring’s the left side of the brain. So, the right side of the body’s, yeah, got the paralysis.  

So, it’s just a matter of just getting used to that. And, and doing all the physical things I can to improve, the way the right side of the body is, so like in day-to-day life. And I think I’m doing a fairly good job these days. So, I just, with all the, extra exercise that I do. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Was that…you mentioned that you’ve just started going out to those big sporting fixtures and concerts and enjoying those experiences. What was the tipping point that sort of got you to have that sort of…that confidence or the impetus to do those things? 

Chris Brady 

Just the confidence I think I’ve had…I’ve got now because I’m doing this thing called immersion therapy. And that was an unexpected thing that arose out of immersion therapy was confidence. So, I…and just gave me a lot more confidence to actually just go and do things and try things. So yeah, I catch the train into the MCG now in my wheelchair. 

And I went to Rod Laver Arena as well, because I’ve got a really good train line right here, so I can go to places. And the MCG is very well set up for people in wheelchairs. So, you know, just got spacing for your wheelchairs and your carer, all that.  

So just, the confidence that I gained through immersion therapy, which I started about 12 months ago and just, just the way I’ve excelled doing immersion therapy has just been, a bit mind blowing, really. What’s come about because of that. 

Jeremy Henderson 

That’s excellent. Chris. I imagine, our listeners are familiar with immersion therapy, but I wonder if you could just tell me what immersion therapy actually looks like…giving you that confidence.  

Chris Brady 

Sorry about that. Yeah. Immersion therapy is basically, first thing you got to do is learn how to scuba dive, and you…scuba diving and wearing, like, tanks and all of that, and you’re in a swimming pool. So, like a 50-meter pool, like, that’s about ten foot deep. And you’re with an exercise physiologist and you’re doing all the exercises with them under the water and like all the stretching and…and the great thing I found with it, because you’re under water, so there’s no pressure on your joints. 

So…and sort of like being weightless, I found and just the ways like they can manipulate and (sort of) stretch your arms or legs, whatever needs doing. And so, I’m actually starting to walk a little bit at the moment up, you know, along the bottom of a swimming pool, swinging, three kilo weights in each hand.  

And I’m climbing out of the pool now rather than getting out in the wheelchair on the hoist, I’m actually climbing up the ladder at the side of the pool. And then I get into the wheelchair. So, it just shows, like how far I’ve come from doing the immersion therapy and I yeah. Yeah, I couldn’t recommend it enough for anybody that would want to give it a try because it seems to really help you know, not just with the all the physical things, but it…yeah, just the mental, it surprised me. So…just the confidence you gain from it. 

Alex McKay 

That’s amazing. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Brilliant. Chris, thank you for sharing. Something else that I know you’re really, really keen to, to share with us and to share with the listeners. And we’ve been talking about the importance of, physical activity and, and sports and not just in terms of the benefits from those physical activities, the health benefits, but also the mental health benefits of being with others and networking. 

Now, we understand that you’re quite an amazing Boccia player, and I’m really, really keen to learn all about the sport of Boccia and to hear about your participation. How long have you been involved in the sport? 

Chris Brady 

I’ve been playing Boccia now for about eight months. Because one of the directors of immersion therapy, he’s from South Australia. And so, he was having a going away party…going back to South Australia a couple of months ago. And they had, some Boccia at the going away party just to like, show people what it’s like or what it is and give us a bit of a go at it. 

And the coach came up to me and said I should…I should come down to Darebin and so I can give it a go. He said because you seem to have potential. So, I’ve been down to Darebin eight months ago and I go there every Tuesday now, and it’s just, it seems to be a great place…just meeting people, meeting the friends that I’ve met down there and just yeah, just something about the sport that just intrigued me. 

And I just wanted to know more about it. And yeah, so I play every week now. 

Jeremy Henderson 

That’s brilliant. Tell our listeners, what is the sport of Boccia, Chris? How do you play it? 

Chris Brady 

Boccia. It’s sort of like lawn bowls, but it’s for the obviously… people, sort of disabled… people in wheelchairs. And that and so forth. But you have like the white ball is a jack ball and you throw the jack ball, it’s like out in front of you, and then you throw your first ball and see how close you can get to it. 

And then, if you’re playing, you know, singles, the person you’re playing, they’ll be like, are…they’re blue balls and you’re red balls. So, you throw your first ball, say how close you can get. Then they throw their ball and say how close they can get. And then depending on who’s furthest away from the jack ball, they get to throw, another ball. 

And it just goes like that. Who’s closest to the actual jack ball? And yeah. And yeah, I just find it, intriguing. So just the, the technical terms of, like, how you have to play and, and so I try to spin the ball a little bit or so I get a bounce off someone, and you get closer to the ball. 

And I played my first, competition, at Easter at MSAC – Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre. And, yeah, I found that interesting because, yeah, just learning a bit more about the game. And so, if I’m going to play competition because it gets a bit technical. So, like, no, you can’t like, you know, move your wheelchair out of a certain box area. 

And yeah, there’s still a lot of rules to it, but if I want to go further and play competition, which yeah, which I’m thinking of doing, I think at the moment. 

Jeremy Henderson 

That was my next question for you, because this is a Paralympic sport, so you’ve got ambitions to go as far as you can with the sport? 

Chris Brady 

Yeah, I, I think so, I think so. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Chris, what do you enjoy most about it? I think you, sort of alluding to the strategic aspects of the game. There’s it can be a quite deep sort of game. Is that the draw for you? 

Chris Brady 

Yeah, I really enjoy the strategy that you have to come up with. So, like know to throw your ball. Cos, there’s different ways…cos you know because some people throw the ball, some people roll the ball and some people depending on their disability, they use a ramp and sort of drop the ball down the ramp.  

So, and just the tactics of like looking at where someone’s thrown their ball alright, where are you going to throw your ball sort of thing. What angle are you going to come at from, you know, to try to get the jack? And just the people I’ve met there. And sometimes for whatever reason, it just ends up quite funny. So, like when you’re playing a game, you’re just watching. So, the way balls bounce off one ball and go one way and then bounces off another ball goes the other way, and sometimes it’s just hilarious. 

And yeah, we have a really good, really good time actually, just having a bit of a practice every Tuesday. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Chris, I’m imagining that the immersion therapy you must be looking back, thinking that was one of the best things you did. So, you did the immersion therapy, and it gave you this amazing confidence. You go to a going away party for somebody from that group and you get introduced to the sport, which you’re loving as well. You must see that is a real turning point for you? 

Chris Brady 

Yeah. Just, the things that I do now compared to sort of like, I never used to do a great deal. Whereas now I do immersion therapy every Tuesday. I’ve got physiotherapy every Monday. I go to the gym every Friday. So yeah, I, I seem to have a very full week now, considering that I stopped working 20 years ago. 

So, yeah, I’ve just got a really full life and I’m just doing things and yeah, I’m going out and going places in my wheelchair and just… I seem to be really enjoying life. 

Jeremy Henderson 

That’s really great to hear.  

Alex, you and Chris are in very different places and stages of your MS. How inspiring, Alex is it to hear Chris’s story and to see that just as you trying to take as much agency and control as you can in terms of looking after your health and your lifestyle, to see Chris in a different stage of his condition but still being able to have that agency and to make so many incredible positive steps? 

Alex McKay 

Chris, you’re an inspiration. Before the last year, I didn’t know any males with MS. So, to meet yourself and I’ve met a couple more now, it’s…it’s inspiring to see how you’re still getting after it and getting things done, mate. Like it’s incredible. 

Chris Brady 

Thank you very much. Thank you. 

Alex McKay 

And your stories. Not just inspiration to me, but so many other men, in this space that we don’t get to, talk to or connect with. And we are a minority. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Might be a question for you both. This is an idea with, it’s a generalisation, but I think it’s very true that, men can have difficulties opening up to other men or to anyone, to be talking about things that are deeply personal or to be talking about health-related matters. Is having MS, has that made that easier to…to make connections with people and to have those sort of honest conversations, or is it become…or is it just as challenging? 

Chris Brady 

I’ve found it has made it easier for me because, yeah, I sort of wear MS as a bit of a badge, so like, I’m proud of it. You know, it’s made me who I am, and I’ve gotten to know it very well after 30 years. And, you know, the limitations, you know, where everything is, and you know, how far you can sort of push things. 

You know what physical exercise you can do. And yeah. I just seem to be in a really good place with it at the moment. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Alex, what’s your experience been like? 

Alex McKay 

For myself, it’s like that first year of being diagnosed. You’re just in denial. For myself, I was in denial so I could talk about it, but I couldn’t talk about it to the ones I loved. I could joke about it and joke with the boys, and no one sort of understood it, because the image of me still playing golf and surfing was the image they saw, and they didn’t think anything else. 

But as soon as I had those conversations with family, mom, dad, my partner, and certain other loved ones, it became real. And it took a while for me to have certain conversations. And now, I just go to sort of my happy place, excuse the expression, but out surfing. And that’s where I get most of the conversations done. 

I’ll surf on a Saturday morning with my best mates, and we sit out there, and we have all the deepest conversations in the world, and what stays with the waves stays with the waves. So, it’s become a bit more of, I think in the last couple of years, throughout, with men, it’s been easier to talk and have those conversations. Those ones that actually really matter to us and instead of just bearing it down. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Excellent. Alex, I wonder if we can turn to your involvement. I mentioned in the introduction that you’re involved. You’re a member of MS Australia’s Lived Experience Expert Panel. The LEEP. The Lived Experience Expert Panel enhances MS Australia’s advocacy agenda through evidence and advice from the MS community. And it’s very important in informing the work that we do across both governance, research, policy, advocacy, education and awareness, and essentially, informing everything we do as an organisation. 

We’re thrilled to have you as one of the newest members of the LEEP. I wonder if you could tell me about your passion and interest in advocacy and what motivated you to apply to join the LEEP? 

Alex McKay 

For me it was going to the conference last year and not seeing another man there that had MS, other than working with MS Australia. I got talking to one of the people from MS Australia and they told me to apply and yeah, I’ve got to a place now where I think with my capacity, I’d love to be able to be a voice for other people that are struggling in that, that can’t find their own voice. 

And I think together we can find a strength where we can make change, and maybe even change that image of what MS looks like. From being that wheelchair sentence or whatever it may be, to being that you can still be active. You can still do things like play Boccia and the rest of it and get on with life. 

So, I think that’s the experience and the voice I hope to bring to the LEEP panel. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thank you, Alex. Just to round up the podcast, one of the things I like to ask our guests is the advice that they would give to people newly diagnosed with MS. Possibly the things that they, they know now or better understand now, or more faced with now, that they think they would have benefited from that knowledge when you were respectively first diagnosed, Chris, what would you tell your younger self or what would you tell listeners out there that you’ve, you’ve sort of learned over the years?  

Chris Brady 

Over the years, I’ve definitely learned quite a lot. But the main thing is probably just be patient, be patient with yourself and don’t get too hung up with the like, know what’s happening with, like, a relapse or so forth. Because I’ve found, life in general is probably ten per cent of what happens to you and ninety per cent of how you deal with it. 

And that goes for everything I found. It’s just a matter of how you deal with whatever situation you’re going through and that you, once you can still get over the hump. Yeah, everything becomes easier because yeah, I’m just yeah, ridiculously happy these days with like just the way my life is and what I do. Yeah. And I never thought I would get to this stage, so … but being the way I am. 

But yeah, I just…just love life and…and yeah. And you…just the best thing is… don’t focus on all the bad things that happen. So, just know that you will get through it and…and learn from it. Learn from everything that you go through. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thank you, Chris. Now Alex, you’re just a few years younger than Chris. So, you’re maybe not quite as wise as Chris and, not being living with your MS for as long, but I’m wondering what you’ve learned to this point in time? 

Alex McKay 

Definitely with what Chris was saying in the end. Something that I live by is…and a saying that I live by is, “You’ve got this.” And you go through those tough times, and I just keep telling myself, “You’ve got this.” Like just…just take that rest. Take that day in bed or that afternoon in bed and reset yourself. You can get through it. 

And finding a strong team and having a strong team around you is one of the most important things. I have, and I think that everyone with MS or a condition should strive to have, whether that’s just your family and friends or as well as your allied health and neurologist. It’s so important and it’s helped me so much to get to where I am. 

Jeremy Henderson 

Thank you, Alex. “You’ve got this” are great words to end this podcast on. Thank you to our guests today for joining us for this special episode to mark International Men’s Health Week. Chris and Alex, it’s been great to have you on the podcast today and to hear your stories. Thank you so much. For more information about Boccia, the Lived Experience Expert Panel and Men’s Health Week, you’ll find all the information in our show notes, and make sure you join us for the next episode of The Raw Nerve. 

Voiceover 

Thanks for listening to The Raw Nerve, the official podcast of MS Australia. To hear more, subscribe to our podcast today at msaustralia.org.au/podcast.