Finding Renewed Purpose

Kristine Werner Ozug, 46, is a powerful advocate for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). She participates in legislative advocacy and clinical research and educates the public about this autoimmune disease that affects nearly 1 million people in the United States alone. It’s an impressive body of work, but as she points out, it has been a long road to get here. 

Kristine began experiencing symptoms at the age of 17 when she was on the tennis team at Berry College. 

“I would do one or two sprints and then start dry heaving. I’d lose my footing doing drills on the stairs,” Kristine says. “It was all chalked up to being dehydrated or needing to be in better shape.” 

The issues progressed during her twenties. 

“I started noticing severe fatigue, tingling in my lip, my left leg was numb, and I was losing my voice, which we later discovered is due to a paralyzed vocal cord,” she recalls. “When I started forgetting things, it prompted me to see a neurologist.” 

While several of Kristine’s clinical tests came back abnormal, there was no definitive proof that pointed to MS at the time. In 2012, she decided to visit Ben Thrower, M.D., at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute at Shepherd Center. 

“I’ll never forget my first appointment with Dr. Thrower,” Kristine says. “I cried, not because I was told I had MS, but because it was a relief that someone believed me and I finally had a diagnosis. I’ve been going to Shepherd ever since.” 

Unfortunately, Kristine’s symptoms forced her to end her dream career in communications. 

“[My career] was gone. And so was my identity. My relevance. I had to stop work for the reasons most people living with MS do: fatigue and cognitive issues,” Kristine explains. “MS is a disease that constantly takes, but it also gives in a way that is sometimes hard to explain and identify in the moment.” 

Since her diagnosis, Kristine has found renewed purpose in activism on behalf of the MS community. 

Kristine’s technical and healthcare communications background prepared her to understand complicated research journals about MS. In the beginning, this helped her research and understand her own disease, but now she’s using her skills to shape MS research. 

“More and more, organizations are seeing the value in having patients have some sort of input in helping in the research process,” she says. “Shepherd's great because they have lots of opportunities for different studies.” 

For more than a year, Kristine has volunteered at RealTalk MS, the most listened-to podcast in the world for people affected by MS. The podcast discusses everything from the latest research to daily life with the disease. It is hosted by Jon Strum, whose wife passed away in 2020 after her battle with MS. 

“Volunteering for the podcast has been a great opportunity,” Kristine says. “Jon has a view from a caregiver perspective, and I have a view of somebody living with MS. We complement each other very well.” 

She has participated in advocacy work with the National MS Society at the state and federal levels, including giving testimony for legislative healthcare issues. Kristine has also come to love helping people with another type of advocacy: self-advocacy. 

“I don’t give medical advice — I leave that to people who work at places like Shepherd Center,” Kristine explains. “I listen to people who are newly diagnosed and offer a plan and options for the next steps. I’m honored that they trust me at such a vulnerable time.” 

While reflecting on helping others during their most vulnerable moments, Kristine remembered what it meant to her when she first met the team at Shepherd. 

“Shepherd saved my life in many ways. It wasn't just my diagnosis,” Kristine says. “It was also helping me see my strength to navigate everything that has happened to me. I wouldn't have morphed into the person I am today if it wasn't for them.” 

She adds, “MS took from me, but I’ve also received so many gifts. Like the people I’ve met and the connections I’ve made that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. I can help people and serve.” 

By Damjana Alverson