It didn’t seem like much at first – a little numbness in his foot. But in looking back, it marked a turning point in Steven Schultz’s life. Now, as he addresses his own health concerns, Schultz is looking to help others deal with a serious health condition.
That numbness that Schultz first experienced in 2009 in his foot, then later his knee in 2009, was later diagnosed as multiple sclerosis, a chronic and potentially debilitating condition. Now Schultz is working to raise money for research for treatment and an eventual cure and to heighten public awareness and education about the severe condition.
Schultz, an Interlaken resident who is member of the Board of Trustees for the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, has worked with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, New Jersey Metro Chapter, to establish the fundraiser MS Rock For A Cure, a June 13 event at the theater. The event will showcase The Fab Faux, a musical tribute band that performs The Beatles works. According to the organizers, approximately 300 tickets for the concert have been set aside for the fundraiser, at a cost of $400 apiece, that includes the concert, a pre-event cocktail reception and an after-concert reception.
“I want to see awareness here,” Schultz said, hoping this event would allow people to realize what this disease means, its effects largely unrealized by the public and that for those who have it, there is hope.
He and his wife, Jaime, said they hope the event would raise $300,000 in sponsorship and ticket sales, with proceeds earmarked for research.
“The thing about MS is you don’t know how it’ll affect you,” Schultz explained.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS as it’s commonly called, is a neurological, inflammatory disorder that affects and damages the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and
spinal cord. This condition can prevent parts of the nervous system to communicate, possibly leading to a wide array of physical symptoms and often lead to permanent neurological problems and damage to the body’s immune system. The direct cause is unknown and MS remains incurable, though there are treatments and medications for the approximately 2.3 million sufferers worldwide.
“This is a disease that needs to be paid attention to,” Schultz believes.
When he first told Jaime about his symptoms, “I said get to the emergency room,” she remembered.
Schultz, who works in real estate development, acknowledged that 2009 – during the financial crisis – was a difficult time for him, with the diagnosis compounding the situation. “He spent a couple of months when he didn’t want to get out of bed or go to work,” Jaime said, noting, “He did but he wasn’t really into it.”
“I had a little bit of a pity party,” initially, he acknowledged.
The key, they found, was finding a doctor, “that was the right fit,” Jaime said.
That physician, Saud Sadiq, MD, FAAN, in New York City, drafted “a health regiment that would fit into Steve’s lifestyle,” factoring in things like diet and physical activity along with traditional medical treatments; and that made the difference in his treatment, Jaime said.
Since his initial diagnosis and ongoing treatment, “You really turned your life around,” dealing with the disease and just everyday life stresses, Jaime told Steven.
He continues to experience various levels of numbness but “it’s all about maintenance,” of the chronic condition and access to proper medical treatment, Schultz noted – at least for now until a cure can be discovered.
