Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Pennsylvania man with MS mentors others with disabilities

From The Standard Speaker in Pennsylvania:

In the span of just a few years, Brian Lang (pictured) went from walking on his own to needing a cane, a quad cane and then a walker.

He's now in a wheelchair.

Although multiple sclerosis robbed him of the use of his legs, it's not stopping him from helping others. The Hazleton man meets with others who are disabled in hopes that they'll find a level of independence they're comfortable with.

"I know what (disabled) people are going through," said Lang, of Hazleton.

As a peer mentor for the Anthracite Region Center for Independent Living, Hazleton, he visits handicapped individuals who are in nursing homes to let them know they can be mostly self-sufficient in their own home or apartment.

"It's very rewarding work," he noted.

Lang has been in a wheelchair since 2005, a few years after doctors diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis. He was also diagnosed with Lyme Disease that year, a disease that's spread through bites from deer ticks.

"I was an avid archery hunter," he said, guessing he probably was bitten during one of his hunting trips. While he knows now that he likely had Lyme Disease for years, doctors didn't diagnose it until about five years ago - after it was too late to treat.

Lang said doctors said symptoms of both diseases can be similar, and told him they believe his multiple sclerosis is probably overriding the Lyme Disease.

Despite treatment, which came with what Lang called "terrible side effects," Lang eventually was unable to walk.

Officially disabled and unable to work at his job as a project manager for a national roofing company, Lang tried to come to terms with his fate. He was always active - whether hunting in the woods near his Shickshinny-area home or snowtubing at area ski resorts.

"It's hard when you go from an able-bodied person to someone who can't move their legs at all," he said.

In time, Lang found himself in a nursing home. Those three months, he said, were rough.

"Nursing homes are OK for elderly people," he said. "For younger people, it's difficult."

Realizing he wouldn't be happy in the nursing home, Lang contacted his caseworker from ARCIL, who helped him find alternative housing.

He now has a handicapped-accessible apartment, the entrance of which is guarded by a tiny dog, Anna Belle. Aides help him with tasks he can no longer do. He can also get where he needs to with handicapped-accessible transportation.

While he's more independent now than he was in the nursing home, Lang hasn't forgotten about those who might be going through what he did. Being a peer mentor allows him to talk to disabled individuals.

"I try to let people know that there is help out there," he said. "They can get an apartment, they can get an aide. They don't need to be in a nursing home. People with disabilities have to look to the bright side. I want them to know there is help - that they can get out and be more independent."

Denise Corcoran, ARCIL's executive director, said the peer mentor program allows a person with disabilities to share his or her experiences with others - especially those who are trying to adjust to "new" disabilities.

Most recently, Lang said, he helped a 35-year-old disabled woman move from a nursing home to her own apartment.

"There are a lot more people who might not know there are other places for them," he said, vowing to continue his work as an advocate.

Jill Mulhearn, Freeland, who also has mobility issues, called Lang "a great inspiration."

She met Lang about a year ago, when they were going for physical therapy treatments. She, like Lang, is also a member of ARCIL's Disability Action Crew, a group that addresses accessibility issues.

"He has a good attitude," she said. "He's just an all-around fun guy. He's always joking."

In her various positions at ARCIL, Carol Duda has come to know Lang.

"He's on the go quite a bit," she said. And, she said, Lang "has a fantastic sense of humor."

Lang said he's committed to keeping an upbeat attitude. He looks at the positives, and gladly reports that he's able to use his arms again after a medicine adjustment. He can bear weight on his legs, and says he'll continue physical therapy with the goal of walking again. And if all else fails, he said he wants to undergo a stem cell transplant.

"I know somewhere down the road something is going to change," he said. "And I will feel that way until the day I die."