Resilience in the Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis
- After decades of unexplained symptoms and repeated medical dismissals, former talk show host and military veteran Montel Williams, 69, finally received a multiple sclerosis diagnosis—ending a 20-year search for answers that began during his military service.
- Williams reflected on his long diagnostic journey on the “So Messy” and “Frankly Seniors” podcasts, sharing how stereotypes about who “fits” the profile for MS contributed to years of misdiagnosis.
- Now living with a stable form of the disease, Williams says he refuses to let MS define him, emphasizing resilience, self-determination, and the importance of owning his story rather than letting others shape it.
- Williams says he’s used medical cannabis to help him manage MS-related symptoms.
- Research published in peer-reviewed journals, including the International Journal of MS Care, supports cannabis use for MS symptom relief, with studies showing improvements in pain (72%), spasticity (48%), and sleep (40%)—especially through oromucosal sprays and oral forms. Talking with your doctor is recommended before exploring cannabis as an option.
- Although MS does not have a cure, common tools such as wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) may improve the quality of life for people living with the disease.
- A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “have been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”
On the “So Messy” podcast with Christina Applegate and Jamie‑Lynn Sigler, Williams reflected on his long road to diagnosis and the choice he ultimately made to define his life on his own terms rather than let MS define it.
In a more detailed conversation on the “Frankly Seniors” podcast, Williams described how his symptoms began surfacing as early as 1979 while he was serving in the military at peak physical condition.
“Throughout my entire military career, every three to four months, I went to the doctor, trying to figure out what was going on with my shoulder, back, leg, and hips,” he recalled.
Despite experiencing recurring issues like tingling, pain, and visual disturbances, Williams said he was repeatedly dismissed. At the time, MS was widely believed to affect mainly white women of northern European descent—an image that didn’t match his own.
“Back then, in the physician’s desk reference, when they looked up MS, it said a disease that mostly affected women of northern European descent,” Williams said. “So, here I am, an African-American male getting ready to graduate from the Naval Academy, and I was probably in the shape of my life, and I’m demonstrating so many symptoms that nobody can explain.”
Williams attributes his diagnosis in part to his maternal ancestry. “Part of the reason for that is my family lineage. My mother happens to be half Caucasian, and her mother was from Scotland, and her father was African-American. Through her, that gene came through, skipped a generation, and hit me.”
Over the years, Williams says doctors often pointed to other potential causes, including his past time as a competitive bodybuilder. He remembers one physician advising him, “Quit putting all of that weight on your back, and you’ll feel better.”
Eventually, after nearly two decades of unexplained symptoms, Williams was formally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—a chronic illness that affects the brain and central nervous system. He described his condition as largely stable today but acknowledged that it remains a constant presence in his life.
“Luckily, I have not had a bout in the last four to five years, and my disease has been very stable,” he said. “However, I still have symptoms that I deal with on a daily basis. However, I’m one of those people who can say that I have MS, but MS is never going to have me.”
Williams Says Cannabis Has Been a ‘Lifeline’ During His Multiple Sclerosis Journey
“It’s been a lifeline for me,” William said in an Instagram post where he added that medical cannabis helps with pain management.
Williams’s incorporation of medical cannabis into his MS management routine is not unheard of, and some research studies say cannabis has provided other MS patients with medical benefits.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says, “Some [people living with multiple sclerosis] use non-inhaled cannabis products to manage symptoms. Although the FDA has not approved any cannabis-based medications to treat MS symptoms, you and your healthcare provider may consider medical cannabis for symptom management.”
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Research published in May 2022 in the peer-reviewed journal “Life” that studied The Efficacy of Cannabis on Multiple Sclerosis-Related Symptoms found that, “indications that cannabis will support the efficacy of cannabinoids, namely through an oromucosal spray (mouth spray) and orally, in the treatment of pain and spasticity, which are the most common symptoms in MS patients.”
Additional published research released in December 2022 in the peer-reviewed “International Journal of MS Care” found that within its own study involving 141 patients with multiple sclerosis, “Patients experienced extensive MS symptom improvement after initiation of MC, with alleviation of pain (72% of patients) and spasticity (48% of patients) and improvement in sleep (40% of patients) the most common.”
Why You Should Tell Your Doctor If You Use Cannabis
Although some experts disagree with cannabis use, SurvivorNet understands it is legal in parts of the country, and there are some medicinal uses for it. If you are using cannabis, Dr. Brian Berman, professor of family community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, says users should tell their doctor about their smoking habits.
“I think that you should always tell whichever therapy we’re talking about, you should always inform your oncologist and your physician, this is (using cannabis) what you’re doing,” Dr. Berman tells SurvivorNet.
Each state has its own requirements for obtaining a medical marijuana card. If you live in a state where medical marijuana use is legal and you think it might be the right treatment for you, start by talking to your doctor.
“Medical cannabis, if you think about it, is the only botanical medicine that can help nausea, increase appetite, decrease pain, and elevate mood,” Dr. Junella Chin, an integrative cannabis physician in New York, tells SurvivorNet.
Dr. Chin says she often sees patients seeking relief from the side effects of chemotherapy, which may include nausea, pain, decreased appetite, and depression. She says some physicians prescribe Marinol, or synthetic cannabis, to treat these side effects. However, she believes using the actual cannabis plant is much more helpful when used to relieve symptoms.
The cancer risks associated with smoking cigarettes are well-documented. However, some experts believe with conviction that cancer risks extend to smoking cannabis as well. Dr. Raja Flores, who is the Chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery for Mount Sinai Health System, is among those who believe cannabis fuels cancer risks.
“Smoking marijuana likely causes lung cancer independent of cigarette smoking status,” Dr. Flores told SurvivorNet.
“I do think for cigarettes, there is a genetic predisposition to get lung cancer. As well as a genetic predisposition for substance abuse. So, it would not surprise me that there is a genetic link to lung cancer from smoking weed,” Dr. Flores continued.
“As someone on the front lines, who sees this every day, I’ve seen lung cancer caused by marijuana that is incredibly aggressive,” Dr. Flores previously told SurvivorNet.
“There is no really good population-based study that looks at marijuana smoking, and that has had enough time elapsed to show it’s associated with lung cancer, [but] I’ve seen it. I’ve seen multiple cases of it. I see it every day,” he added.
Helping Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Resources
Living with Incurable Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.
Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate with the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.
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There is no cure for M.S., but M.S. warriors battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms.
Common tools M.S. patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).
A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “have been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”
Research published in Frontiers in Neurology last year says autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) (also called bone marrow transplantation, with autologous meaning a patient’s own cells) used for multiple sclerosis therapy helps “reset the immune system.” Several studies and clinical trials using AHSCT have shown promise.
“In a meta-analysis of published studies using AHSCT for M.S. treatment, the pooled estimated transplant-related mortality was 2.1%, the two-year disease progression rate was 17.1%, the five-year progression rate of 23.3%, and a pooled 83% of patients had no evidence of disease activity at two years. Patients who had the most benefit and the least mortality rate were patients with relapsing-remitting M.S. (RRMS).”
Additional research published by NEJM Journal Watch says that AHSCT helps MS patients reduce relapses better than other forms of MS treatment.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:
- Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what M.S. is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
- Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common M.S. among the million people battling the disease in the U.S., RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
- Primary progressive M.S. (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
- Secondary progressive M.S. (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of M.S. that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are diagnosed with MS or are concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions.
- Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option to manage my symptoms do you recommend for me?
- Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
- What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
- Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
- Are there any MS support groups you recommend to help me cop
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