Cause: Multiple Sclerosis
Age at onset: 31

David Foster is an engineer—and he thinks like one. He can tell you all about the technical aspects of multiple sclerosis: the way it attacks the body, the current treatments, the potential for a future cure. He can discuss generating nerve tissues, how signals travel to the brain, and the way the circumference of his thighs has shrunk since he was diagnosed.

But when he first learned he might have MS, he wasn’t thinking about facts and figures: he was thinking about his eleven-month-old daughter.  “I was worried I’d go blind. So I would just stare at her so I’d never forget what she looked like.”

David was an athlete all his life and was used to “stingers,” that tingly numbness that spreads from the shoulder to the hand after a collision. But stingers go away. David’s numbness didn’t. Then one morning, he woke up and couldn’t see out of one eye. Assuming it was a scratched cornea from his contacts, he ignored the symptom. But it got worse. He went to the emergency room, had a cat scan and an MRI, and got the news: it might be MS.

“When I first heard,” says David, “I was decimated. I thought MS was a death sentence. I thought I’d be bed-ridden and then die.” But after the news sunk in and the doctor’s suspicions were confirmed, David’s engineer brain kicked in and he began to plan.

“I needed to find a way to secure the future for myself and family. I did a lot of research on MS and made a plan. We bought a house as maintenance-free as possible. I had just finished my masters so I was in good shape career-wise. My path forward was to stay employed, continue working out and eat well. I started doing more engineering management because you can work from a desk.”

So how does David stay so positive and energetic? He credits much of his physical and mental strength to  FES technology.

“I had tried to stay active, but it was tough: you can’t ride a regular bike, you can’t jog, maintaining muscle mass is difficult, there was a lot of atrophy in my legs, you could see the bones. When I read about FES, it really piqued my interest so I contacted the Kennedy Krieger Institute to see if I would be a candidate. At the time, the facility was focused on spinal cord injuries and they weren’t taking MS patients. But I was persistent. After calling every week for three or four months, I finally got an appointment with a wonderful doctor who saw how determined I was. With me, quitting is not an option—she knew I’d go for it. On the first day they put me on the RT300 system.”

David felt the benefits right away. “Those RT300's are a godsend. It was unbelievable, I felt like I was finally getting full contraction in my legs. We started at five minutes. We did that twice a week for several weeks. Each day I would try to go another minute on my own power.”

David noticed so much improvement that he added FES arm cycling to his routine. Although the MS was initially confined to his right foot, it had progressed into both legs and arms. “My right tricep had atrophied along with my rear shoulders. I had begun getting pain in my right shoulder. I’d lie in bed and roll over on it and wake myself up because of the pain. I had lost an inch in the circumference of my arm. I started using the bike and I’ve made good progress in terms of strength.”

David’s initial ride of 5 minutes is now up to 32 minutes on each ride, several times a week. “I feel awesome after a workout. I get an adrenaline rush. I used to love sports. I get that feeling now on the RT300. My leg diameter has doubled. I can see muscles, I can see hamstrings! It sounds so simple, but I love being able to sit in a restaurant with my wife and not have to shift my weight because of the pain.”

Since he began using the RT300, David can stand longer and walk faster. He is no longer considering selling his house because of the second floor bedroom. Going up steps is easier now. His cramping has disappeared completely. His muscle tone has improved, and his spasms are reduced for hours after he rides. “Getting in and out of the car now, I don’t have to pause. I used to feel like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz when I stood up. Now I just stand and move. It’s tremendous.”

David says the pins and needles in his feet disappear for several days after a session on the RT300. And the meds that sapped his strength and slowed his thinking are a thing of the past: “With the RT300, I don’t have to take them.”

Something David doesn’t have to work at is staying positive. He’s an enormous supporter of every patient he encounters at Kennedy Krieger, even going so far as to help an injured man find his dream job. “He’d mentioned his desire to be an air traffic controller. I did some research for him, talked to him, found a mentor who could help him. I’d like to think my job is to facilitate dreams and make them a reality.”

And what about David’s own dreams? “My eventual goal is a cure for MS, but you can’t wait around for it. So in the meantime, I stay in the best condition I can so I’m a candidate for treatment. I want to be prepared and ready. You can’t hide in the dark, sitting in the corner and waiting for that day. Every day is a gift. It’s up to you what you do with it: feel sorry for yourself or be the best you can be.”