on PinterestEverclear frontman Art Alexakis opens up about living with living with multiple sclerosis for more than a decade and the early signs he missed.
on PinterestEverclear frontman Art Alexakis opens up about living with living with multiple sclerosis for more than a decade and the early signs he missed. Courtesy of Art Alexakis
- Everclear frontman Art Alexakis is sharing his decade-long journey with Multiple Sclerosis.
- He was diagnosed with relapsing MS in 2016.
- He discusses his most recent treatment and other ways he cares for himself.
Art Alexakis, singer and frontman of the Grammy-nominated rock band Everclear, wrapped up a 43-show tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band’s album, Sparkle and Fade.
The anniversary was extra special for the 63-year-old rock star as he has been living with relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 10 years.
“I’m grateful for aging. I’m grateful for the MS. It makes me try harder. I get to play so many shows a year, and having to go through airports is hard, but doing that, keeping moving and keeping working at it is one of the things that has really helped me with my gratitude and with my mental outlook,” he told Healthline.
“If you try to do something and you accomplish it, it feels good. And even though it gets harder, I can still do it right now. I’m feeling pretty good.”
Alexakis was diagnosed with MS following a car accident in 2016. A few weeks after the accident, he began experiencing a tweak in his neck. His doctor suggested he get an MRI.
“So, I go get the MRI, I show up in his examination room, and there were six guys in there. They went on to tell me that two of them were neurologists, and that the pathologist who read the MRI had seen lesions on my spine and my brain, and they were pretty certain that they were MS,” he said.
Once Alexakis received the diagnosis at 54 years old, he realized he had been experiencing symptoms since his 20s, including balance and walking issues, fatigue, and skin sensations.
“They thought that I had it for over 25 years just by the look of the lesions. In my 20s, I would have pretty severe vertigo. Rage is a thing. As I got older, these things became more pronounced, especially the balance and just skin feeling weird, and sometimes my arm not working well out of nowhere,” he said. “It was a blessing to me to get that diagnosis because a lot of people go through life and never get diagnosed correctly.”
Alexakis’ neurologist Regina Berkovich, MD, PhD, said a misconception about MS is that it can only occur between the ages of 18 and 40.
“However, we can see it in childhood and as late as senior age,” she told Healthline. “The lesson is that MS doesn’t follow any rules and that’s why it’s so fascinating to deal with the condition on a professional level, and at times, it can get challenging on the level of individual patients.”
Berkovich has helped Alexakis find a treatment that works for him: Tysabri, a monoclonal antibody administered as an intravenous infusion.
“An important learning experience I take for myself from Art’s
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