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When Kate Savett was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2015, she thought her dream of learning to ride a bike was over. “I never learned to ride as a kid. And now, I thought, it’s really never going to happen,” says the 40-year old life insurance sales administrator.
Fortunately, while on vacation, Savett spotted an elderly woman riding a three-wheeled cruising trike, and inspiration struck. “I thought, ‘I can do that!’” she says. Back home in Allentown, Savett bought a recumbent tricycle, which sports an aerodynamic configuration of two wheels in the front and one in the back.
With her husband, Scott, who is an avid cyclist, Savett took to Lehigh Valley’s scenic rail trails. “Riding a recumbent trike gives me a way to exercise,” Savett says. “If I walk for more than 15 minutes, my legs might start to tingle. But on the recumbent trike, I can ride for hours.”
Personalized MS treatment
With MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, a protective covering around nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord, causing symptoms such as tingling, numbness and fatigue, as well as balance, bladder and vision problems.
“Exercise is beneficial for patients with MS,” says neurologist Dmitry Khaitov, MD, with LVPG Neurology. Physical activity may protect the immune system and trigger myelin to regenerate. “Exercise can help patients with MS function better physically and may reduce cognitive symptoms, such as fatigue and depression,” Khaitov says.
In addition to recommending exercise, Khaitov and colleagues work with patients to individualize their treatment plans.
“We have 14 different treatments that can be customized to each patient,” Khaitov says, including injectable and oral therapies. “The goal of treatment is no evidence of disease on an MRI, neurological and other exams, and how patients feel,” Khaitov says.
Powering through
In 2018, Savett was doing so well that she rode her recumbent trike for 20 miles in Bike to the Bay, an annual MS Society fundraising ride from Dover to Rehoboth Beach, Del. “It was a fantastic ride,” Savett says, “especially seeing all these people helping the MS Society find a cure.” Savett believes a cure will be found in her lifetime. Meanwhile, “you can’t wait for that,” she says. “You have to continue to live your best life, and that’s what cycling does for me.”