‘It Took 20 Years to Diagnose Me’ – TV Host Montel Williams, 68, Says Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms Began While in the Military. Though Stable, MS Still Bothers Him Today

“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 former 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.

 

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“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’s candid reflections not only highlight the challenges of diagnosing MS in underrepresented communities but also underscore his resilience—a trait that continues to define his life both on and off the public stage.

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.

WATCH: SurvivorNetTV Presents: Defying All Odds – A World-Renowned Doctor’s Incredible Journey Through MS

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 “has 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%, two-year disease progression rate was 17.1%, five-year progression rate of 23.3%, and a pooled 83% of patients with no evidence of disease activity at two years. Patients who had the most benefit and 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 relapse 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 may be 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 cope?

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