Maybe It’s Me? Maybe It’s Mavenclad?

By R. Hart Heiden

If you were me, and you really put yourself into my shoes…would you, in your level of right-mindedness and good intentionality, take any of the medications available that are designed to treat MS?  Treat. I did not say cure. Up until this date of 8/28/21 there is no cure. And even if there was, could a man-made, externally-sourced entity be trusted for everyone? Okay. So, you said “yes” to the former hypothetical. Great. And then, I would ask what it is you know about MS? Okay. A lot. Great! Then, what is it you know about me? And, “ahhhhh…” nothing. Okay, so please, consider taking this quick trip with me because I feel like it’s an important perspective to unveil to any doctor, medical professional, or person who has a familiar relative or friend undergoing a similar physical experience. I can only speak for me, however, this is still a great use of your time to develop and enhance a greater component of your life and I promise to make it valuable. 

Let me begin by saying, people want to know why I don’t take any medications for my illness rather than asking the more obvious questions (to me) like, “What are you doing to treat and manage your physical circumstance?” (as I would hope to put it) Or, “What do you notice has been working for you these days?” or, “How did you make it this far through life in your ordeal of suffering?” And I could strike up a conversation with any person that way. That shows me immediately that they have a level of respect for my decision making skills regarding my own body, that they possess a level of reverence for the person that I have managed to become in spite of my illness, and that they might even be interested in getting the inside-scoop on what is benefiting me having not taken any medication up until this point.

I type, “up until this point.” Because there is a decision looming with a lot of pressure being placed upon it (in my mind) and whether or not taking a medication is the best-fit.

The drug is known as, Mavenclad. From my understanding, the medicine for Secondary Progressive MS patients works like this: This treatment is a ten-day, consecutively regimented oral pill-form (one per day) designed to eradicate the white blood cell-count that are attacking the myelin sheath layers of the brain. And then, given a break of a year’s time new lymphocytes will repopulate within the body, and then in another year’s time, take the ten-day dose again.

To me? With a science-background, it makes a lot of sense to apprehend the culprit and eliminate it in such a way. But every cause has an effect and given that eliminating the immune-cells sounds like it makes a person a bit like a “duck-in-the-water” I am not sure how it could prevent potential threats like, Covid-19, for instance. Also? Would the medicine eliminate the built up immuno-responses that have been developed by my body over time? In addition, I don’t know anyone personally who has taken the medication themselves and I would like to get their opinion on it.  I cannot be certain of what those side-effects might be other than what the medication’s informative packet tells me and the research done online. Yet either way, I also know that everyone taking this medication will respond differently to it.  It might be clearer to you how the decision-making process goes for me. I am welcoming any and all information that might assist me in filling the gaps as there is a lot of research to be done. 

Here’s the thing: I am a firm believer in a higher spiritual being: God, Creator, Source, All. I hold my faith in my God Almighty as being my number one support mechanism at this time, however, I also believe the ancient adage that reads, “this too shall pass.” I am also a heavy believer that this lifetime is not solely meant to be a physical experience, but rather a combination of all three: physical, mental and spiritual. Because of this established relationship I have constructed, I understand how taking on any new drug into the physical system feels like I am omitting of this truth. As though I am not living by my own words.

Through my personal experience living with MS I have to acknowledge that there are a litany of experiences and information sets that I have missed out on as a result and regret is a very painful experience to undertake and be willing to overlook. At the same time for me, my perceived level of attaining any dreams and aspirations have been diminished quite rapidly and visibly within my performance. This alone has caused me to reach out into the development of new formats of what is possible. Without going unstated, this experience has certainly diminished my confidence levels, worthiness, and has made me question life altogether in a way I had never perceived before. 

The experience of living with MS is a tough pill to swallow, but even more excruciating than that is coming up with a rationale to live life powerfully and freely from judgements or from other people’s expectations and fears.  This is why I created HealthVenom.com: I wanted an outlet that captured my creative endeavors and what I experienced in the entertainment industry while at the same time offering value and performance enhancing materials and opportunities to provide  tremendous value to others. I wanted to share with other people that there is a resource available for individual’s going through a similar experience. That a life-threatening, progressive disease does not mean the eradication of existence, and nor does it mean that a person who is experiencing this be unable to question their authority’s declaration that following their demands is final.  Because what other option is out there for them? Will-power: A. And www.HealthVenom.com. B. Contact us. Share what you are going through and how you prefer to be contacted and maybe I get the good fortune of speaking directly with you. 

In closing, I feel that it is important to acknowledge you for reading this far, and I would like you to know that there is so much more to life than a physical existence. The blessings of being diagnosed with Secondary Progressive MS is that I can finally understand where I am taking my physical life, but even more importantly, how I was taking it for granted and depending on fulfillment from the external experience alone.

Life is a tremendous journey and I get that for many, appearances can be hard to digest. But once you get past that, you will begin to understand that everyone you meet is suffering in their own sort of way: everyone. Even those without MS. On the other side of the fence there lies a beautiful transformative code and an offering of tremendous power and ability. I wish you all the best in your ability to connect with this “other” side: regardless of your circumstance.

In my case? The body is attacking the mind—so long as I agree to that idea. It is a temporary construct, an ephemeral being that will dissipate one day or another, but that I must learn to let go  and allow my higher power to guide and reinforce me along my journey. To believe that my higher power couldn’t at any moment step in and interfere with my existence, is a strike of foolishness. And ultimately, I know that my faith and growth in mind and spirit will fulfill upon my destiny to achieve greatness within this space and make it through this experience. I am fortunate that it happened for me sooner in life (23), rather than later because now I recognize how blessed I really am. I am blessed to experience this majestic miracle called life and I cherish each moment a little bit more each day and always with appreciation and thanks. Regardless of my temporary circumstance.

-Cheers,

Hart