After being diagnosed with MS, he started running marathons. It’s helping reverse the disease’s progression.

When Derek Stefureac was diagnosed with multiple sclerosischronic disease that affects the central nervous system, he was a smoker and never exercised.

Everything changed when he had a “seizure” at work at age 39: His body was paralyzed for about a minute, and Stefureac told CBS News he “thought he was dying.” After consulting several doctors, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

“It was a pretty scary diagnosis and, to be honest, I wasn’t even sure what it was. anyone who had,” said Stefureac, now 51. “As I learned more, a doctor said, ‘It’s a progressive disease, it’s incurable. We have some therapies to slow the progression, but the best thing you can do is stay healthy. A healthy body is the best tool.’ So it scared me enough to quit smoking, and as part of the process of quitting smoking, to help myself and get healthy, I started running.”

Now, 13 years after his diagnosis and first running sessions, Stefureac has run 36 marathons – including one in Antarctica and one in Mount Everest. After completing the Australian Brisbane Marathon in early June, he has now run a marathon on every continent. He has built a community of runners, connected with others with his condition and his doctor says he has even managed to reverse the progression of his condition. multiple sclerosis.

What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system, according to Mayo Clinic website. The immune system attacks the myelin, or protective sheath, that covers nerve fibers. This causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body, causing a wide range of symptoms, including numbness and weakness in the body, unsteady gait, blurred vision, and more. Eventually, it can cause permanent damage or deterioration of nerve fibers.

Multiple sclerosis is “an unpredictable disease,” said Dr. Bruce Bebo, executive vice president for research at the National MS Society, who is not involved in Stefureac’s care.

For Stefureac, who also takes medication to manage his condition, the illness manifested most prominently as a dragging foot that he noticed when he started running. Le Hua, a neurologist overseeing Stefureac’s treatment, said he also had neurological dysfunction and some numbness, weakness and tingling in his body. He also had spinal injuries, which are “associated with an increased risk of disability” due to multiple sclerosis, she said.

How does exercise affect multiple sclerosis?

Bebo said a growing body of evidence supports the importance of exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices to help treat multiple sclerosis. Even though exercise does not reverse the progression of the disease, it can help limit co-morbidities such as high blood pressure, which can accelerate the progression of multiple sclerosis. Exercise can also help promote nervous system plasticity, which can improve function and offset damage caused by multiple sclerosis, he said.

Cardiovascular training, such as running, can be especially helpful in treating multiple sclerosis, Bebo said, but a person doesn’t necessarily need to run marathons to see the benefits.

“There’s pretty much something for everyone, no matter what your skill level or disability,” Bebo said.

Hua said Stefureac’s case is “really unique” because he actually saw signs of “improvement in disability” where some difficulties he initially faced improved. Many people may see signs of disability slowing, she said, but a real improvement in disease progression is not something she or others in her field often see.

“Derek actually looks a lot better now than when he was first diagnosed in terms of his disability,” Hua said.

Stefureac told CBS News he “doesn’t even remember” the last time he dealt with a symptom of multiple sclerosis.

“I only think about MS when I need to refill my prescription or make an appointment,” he said.

After running a marathon on every continent, what’s next?

Stefureac has completed his goal of running a marathon on every continent, but there are still more extreme events he wants to compete in. He’s planning a marathon at the North Pole and running one on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in February 2025. He also wants to participate in more intense events, like a five-day race across the Sahara Desert and an Ironman Triathalon in Hawaii.

“When I started, the goal was to get in shape and slow down that progression, and it worked so, so amazingly,” Stefureac said, adding that she hopes her story can serve as an inspiration to others dealing with multiple sclerosis. or chronic health conditions.

“It sounds crazy, but for me, I’m grateful for the diagnosis. It was truly an eye-opener and changed my life. I don’t think I would be traveling seven continents if I had never been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,” Stefureac said. “No one could know I have multiple sclerosis. People are shocked when I tell them. I would like to be a good example of ‘This could be you’.”