Empowered to Improve

Discipline, dedication, and persistence — these are all qualities of a successful athlete. And Greta Anderson, a former competitive tennis player who is now an LPGA professional and golf instructor, is using those qualities as she navigates a recent multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.

“I wrapped my mind around it,” Greta says of the news that the symptoms she’d been experiencing — extreme fatigue, dizziness, pain, and weakness throughout her body — were caused by MS. “But I didn’t wallow — the condition was not going to take over my life.”

It took a few months to get the diagnosis. She received hypotheses from doctors but no real answers and nothing to relieve her symptoms.

“I had to cut back my teaching as it was difficult to move,” she recalls. “I stopped going to the gym. It was a scary and stressful time because no one had any answers.”

Last September, she visited another doctor who suspected MS. An MRI confirmed that diagnosis.

“I was actually relieved,” Greta says. “I knew what I was dealing with, and I could move toward progress.”

Greta sought treatment at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute at Shepherd Center, impressed by their holistic approach to care.

“MS is something I’m going to have the rest of my life,” she says. “I wanted a place that could give me a whole cadre of care.”

Greta began regular physical and occupational therapy, incorporated stretching into her routine, and was careful to eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep.

“I’m very coachable,” Greta says. “Tell me what to do, and I will do it faithfully with as much effort as I can. I felt empowered to improve.”

Greta also works out at Shepherd Center’s ProMotion Fitness Center, taking exercise classes tailored to people with MS. Her hard work and dedication have paid off; she’s seen improvements in her strength, mobility, and balance.

She has adapted her work schedule, and now teaches at an indoor facility, which helps her avoid the heat. She’s cut back on teaching but expanded her business in other ways that are not as physically demanding. She walks with a walking stick to help with balance.

She is grateful for the MS Institute.

“MS can be overwhelming,” Greta says, “especially if you don’t have a place where you can get physical and emotional support. Shepherd Center does that. Everything you need is right there. It is a life-changing, life-affirming place.”

Written by Sara Baxter