Multiple sclerosis: A Veteran’s journey back to VA care

Understanding VA care for Veterans with multiple sclerosis

A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) led to new health care opportunities for Kathleen Fitpatrick. In 1988, when Fitpatrick first entered a VA medical center, it made her uneasy. She had every reason to feel at home there—nearly a decade of Army service as a medic and operating room technician, plus a family military legacy spanning her father’s Air Force service during the Korean War and her uncles’ Army and Marine Corps service in Vietnam. Yet despite her impressive credentials and deep military roots, she felt out of place, like the facility was designed for an older, predominantly male population. That discomfort stayed with her, and before long, she stepped away from military life, and VA health care, entirely.

Fitpatrick started her civilian life by earning a business degree focused on marketing and built a 20-year career in the nonprofit sector. Life seemed on track until June 2001, when a simple pedicure changed everything.

“They soaked my feet in hot water for 40 minutes because they were behind schedule,” Fitpatrick recalled. “Then I came home and cut the grass in 95-degree weather.”

The overheating triggered an MS attack and left her numb from the waist down over the next two days, launching what she calls her “medical odyssey.”

Using private insurance through her employer, Fitpatrick found a civilian neurologist who eventually diagnosed her with MS. She began one of the three injectable MS treatment options available at the time. For nearly two decades, she managed her relapsing-remitting MS through private health care, working until 2014 when cognitive symptoms and burnout resulted in her retirement.

It was Fitpatrick’s desire to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as early as possible that brought her back to VA in 2020.

“I just knew VA would be on top of that,” she explained. But getting vaccinated required establishing care with a VA primary care physician.

Living with MS: Finding support through VA

At the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center Women’s Health Clinic, Fitpatrick’s new primary care provider became her gateway back into VA’s system.

“I was, like, pulled into the system,” Fitpatrick said.

The doctor referred her to MS specialists, connecting Fitpatrick with the MS Center of Excellence care system. The transformation in VA care amazed her. The modern MS clinic offered not just advanced MS medications, but comprehensive interdisciplinary care, including cognitive rehabilitation, services her private insurance had never offered.

Now, Fitpatrick has found a new mission. Since 2009, she’s been deeply involved with Veteran organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), where she served as district and post commander, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). She is the President of the Colonial PVA Chapter for Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, D.C. and New York, and co-chairs the Women Veteran Program for the Colonial Chapter. Fitpatrick also volunteers through VFW’s “Cooties” subgroup, where she brings joy to long-term care Veterans through monthly bingo games and holiday care packages.

Her advice to Veterans hesitating about VA care is direct: “Don’t be afraid to reach out to VA for medical care related to your MS, because they’re excellent at it.”

She acknowledged that some Veterans may still carry outdated impressions, but emphasized that VA of today offers cutting-edge treatments and specialized services designed specifically for Veterans’ needs.

“I walked away from military life completely,” she added. “It’s only over the last four years that I’ve come back into the fold.”

For Veterans with MS, that return can mean access to world-class care and a community that understands both military service and chronic illness.

VA resources for Veterans with MS

VA offers a variety of national resources for Veterans diagnosed with MS:

• VA MS Regional Specialty Programs: Clinics within VA with specialized experience in the care of Veterans with MS.
• Telehealth Services: Access to MS care and support without long travel times.
• Whole Health Services: Tools like health coaching, pain management and wellness apps to support living well with MS.
• Mental Health and Peer Support: Counseling, group programs and resources to help Veterans cope emotionally with MS.
• Medications for MS: Discuss options with your VA MS Multidisciplinary Care Team to find the best approach to address your MS symptoms.
• Vaccines and Immunizations: Staying up to date with immunizations may help protect you from severe respiratory illness.
• News Stories of Veterans Living with MS: Read about Veterans living their best life with multiple sclerosis and receiving excellent VA care.