Dusty Sheffield, of Winnsboro, Texas, is a patient of Paragon Healthcare, a Carelon company that operates under CarelonRx. In honor of World MS Day 2025, she shares her perspective on the journey from early symptoms, to diagnosis, to the infusion treatments that connect her with the quality of life she now enjoys.
Watch Dusty’s video, here.
Read Dusty's story below:
I was really scared.
As a mortgage banker, I spend much of my day in front of a computer. One day at work when the screen became blurry, I chalked it up to tired, strained eyes that had been staring at a screen for far too long.
My vision corrected itself after a few hours, but then came the irregular heartbeat, dizziness, and bouts of falling. “This has to be my heart, “I remember thinking. My mind went straight to my mom who experienced similar symptoms and then passed away at an early age due to a massive heart attack.
I quickly scheduled a visit with my primary care physician who confirmed my irregular heartbeat and sent me directly to a cardiologist who ordered an MRI. That MRI revealed a number of lesions on my brain and led to a shocking, unexpected diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018.
Simply put – I was really scared. Not only for me, but for my husband and my two boys. What would their futures look like as I navigate an unpredictable, chronic illness? What would my independence look like?
Navigating a chronic illness requires connectivity
I know I’m not alone in these thoughts, but at the time of diagnosis, one can feel isolated. MS affects more than 1 million people in the United States, and an estimated 2.8 million globally, according to the National MS Society.
Currently, there is no cure for the disease that affects the central nervous system, but early detection of the disease can help patients like me manage symptoms and live a normal life. However, around the world, more than 80% of countries face healthcare barriers, such as lack of awareness, that prevent an early diagnosis of MS and access to life-changing treatments, according to The Multiple Sclerosis International Federation.
Healthcare teams and patients must work together to establish a diagnosis and swift treatment plan, and then constantly evaluate the effectiveness of those treatments.
Community-centered care can promote better health outcomes
Every six months, I make a three-hour round-trip drive to receive my six-hour infusion treatment at Paragon Healthcare. There, I’m treated like family by the nurses and care coordinators onsite. Together, they help manage my infused medication treatments in coordination with my physician, neurologist, and health insurance provider.
While I’m there, I’m also surrounded by a community of other patients living with MS. Together, as we receive our infusions, we talk about types of treatments, side effects, flareups, struggles, and wins.
Today, because of my connected healthcare team, I’m no longer a prisoner of my disease. My days are filled with good books, long walks, helping people buy their own homes, and watching my twin high school-aged boys play football and baseball. Because of therapy and connected care, I get the opportunity to forget about my MS and enjoy spending time with my family.
On May 30 – World MS Day – I invite physicians, families, healthcare systems and health benefit managers, to continue to strive for the integrated, connected healthcare that I have been so fortunate to receive. Together, we can make a positive impact in the lives of patients living with MS and strive for better health outcomes in our communities.
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