Patient walks tall despite disease

Pat Martin plans to take part in the six-mile Lawrence MS Walk today, but it will seem like a vacation compared with her exertions Monday through Friday.

Martin, 44, works 40 hours a week as a machine operator at the Prosoco chemical plant in the East Hills Business Park. Her job is to fill large containers with hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acids.

“It’s pretty physical,” she said.

Four years ago, Martin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which affects the central nervous system. At that time, she asked her neurologist whether she should quit her job.

“He told me, ‘No. Try to work as long as you can,'” Martin said.

So she continued her physical labor at the plant, despite having a disease that induces fatigue and often causes people to quit even white-collar jobs.

MS does sometimes make Martin’s duties difficult.

“I sit down a lot at work,” she said.

Like many people with MS, Martin is vulnerable to extreme heat. She often has to take days off during the summer.

Pat Martin, right, and her husband, Terry Martin, sit atop their Harley-Davidson. Pat, who has multiple sclerosis, remains physically active, taking frequent rides with Terry and working 40 hours a week at a chemical plant. She will participate in today's Lawrence MS Walk.

“The heat just about does me under,” she said.

Martin does not know how long she will be able to continue in her job, so she is trying to save as much money as she can.

“That’s why I’m working, so I can take care of myself in the long run,” she said.

Martin lives in Lawrence with her husband, Terry, a daughter and a grandchild. She has five daughters and 10 grandchildren total.

“There’s never a dull moment,” she said.

Every night at 9:30, Martin injects herself with Copaxone, a drug designed to prevent MS relapses. Her current therapy is working well for now, she said.

The Lawrence Multiple Sclerosis Walk begins at 10 a.m. today at Burcham Park, Second and Indiana streets. Registration starts at 9 a.m.The group will walk through the downtown area, up to the Kansas University campus and back to the park. A shorter route is also available.Participants are asked to make a donation at the site or have sponsors make a pledge to the MS Society. Forty percent of the proceeds will go to national MS research; the remainder will be used for educational programs and financial aid to people with MS in Douglas and surrounding counties.

Martin strives to maintain a sunny disposition despite the demands of work, family life and the disease.

“The most important thing is to keep a good attitude,” she said.

Martin hopes today’s walk will raise awareness of the disease. It’s important for people to educate themselves, she said, rather than have the disease take them or a family member by surprise.

“You never know what life’s going to throw at you,” she said.