Our Neuroscience Patients Say It Best

Nothing but Excellent Care - Kelvin Thomas

Jan, 2015

Physicians: Richard Frieden, MD

It was 3:00 a.m. somewhere in Ontario, Canada. Kelvin Thomas, 52, was barreling down the road in mid-August in his semi, heading toward his next delivery. Then the symptoms returned just as mysteriously as they had left.

The swaying and spinning sensations of vertigo. Paralysis in his left eye, and an odd tingling sensation traveling up and down his legs. It was the second time he had experienced these symptoms, which previously went undiagnosed.

Kelvin continued on his trip. He eventually lost vision in his eye, but he made the delivery. Then, incredibly, he picked up his next shipment and drove all the way home to Benton Harbor. 

“I had no idea what was going on – if I’d had a stroke or something – I just wasn’t sure,” Kelvin said. “I didn’t want to burden the company that I worked for. They would have had to arrange to come get the truck, so I headed back. I took back roads because I could only see out of one eye.”

When he returned home, Kelvin went to see an eye doctor about his vision. The doctor told him he needed to go to the emergency room right away. He did.

Kelvin went to the Emergency Department at Lakeland Medical Center, St. Joseph for an examination. After a battery of tests, he received the diagnosis. Kelvin was suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).

MS is an immune disease that attacks a person’s nervous system, causing the nerves to slow or stop. This leads to a variety of symptoms, including those experienced by Kelvin. There is no cure. Treatment focuses on symptom control and maintaining quality of life.

Kelvin remained in the hospital over the next three weeks. He lost the ability to walk, and received several different forms of treatment, including steroids and low-dose chemotherapy. One of his doctors was neurologist Richard Frieden, MD.

“My father had been a patient of Dr. Frieden’s, and we liked him a lot,” Kelvin said. “He has a great attitude and personality. He put my family and me at ease with his openness and honesty. It wasn’t always good news, but he explained everything and laid out exactly what I would go through.”