On the 13th episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast, co-host Phil O’Neil talks with MSWA Chair and MS Australia Board Director, Horst Bemmerl about his life with multiple sclerosis (MS) and his incredible journey, from diagnosis, and its inevitable challenges, to positivity and living a life devoted to educating, raising awareness and helping others with the disease. 

Phil and Horst discuss their respective MS diagnosis journeys and find a mutual connection as Horst shares tales about some of his extraordinary endeavors, including most recently in Malaysia. 

Join Phil and his guest Horst as they chat openly about challenges and wins while living with MS, symptoms, managing MS, the impact on family, and the incredible advances in MS research, advocacy and future plans. 

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On the 12th episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast, guest host Jeremy Henderson, MS Australia’s Head of Advocacy, had the privilege of speaking with three dedicated MS Nurses about the invaluable work they do and the remarkable connection they form with their patients.

In the lead up to World MS Day, Jeremy speaks candidly with Belinda Bardsley, Tim O’Maley and Emma Christian about the role of an MS Nurse, the remarkable holistic care provided to people living with MS, together with the ongoing and important bond formed with their patients and their families over a long period of time.

With the launch of MS Australia’s campaign, MS Nurses – Life-Changing Care, Belinda, Tim and Emma discussed the enormous challenges in Australia given the current shortage of MS Nurses and the dire need for this campaign.

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On the 11th episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast, co-host Rohan Greenland talks with three people heavily involved in the development of a new MS Australia video resource developed to help the community gain a better understanding of multiple sclerosis.

Rohan is joined by Couch Creative creative director Mike Sarah, and two of Rohan’s MS Australia colleagues who contributed clinical and lived-experience expertise to the project; Dr Therese Burke, an MS Nurse and former president of MS Nurses Australasia, and Andrew Potter who lives with MS.

Join Rohan and his guests as he discusses the challenge of explaining a complex disease in simple ways that are easy to understand, and of using a largely visual medium to explain what, are often invisible symptoms.

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What is MS? Video

Episode Transcript

On the 10th episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast, friend of the show, Tim Coetzee, Chief Advocacy, Services and Science Officer at the National MS Society takes the reins, coming to us from New York, where the Pathways to Cures Global Summit wrapped last week. The summit brought together 189 leaders from the global MS movement, representing 15 countries and 20 organizations that endorse the Pathways to Cures roadmap, to focus on how we can find solutions to MS. Tim sat down with two members of the MS Australia delegation, President Des Graham and Head of Research Julia Morahan for their reflections on the Summit and to discuss the importance of collaboration in international efforts.

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Episode Transcript

On the 9th episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast Phil O’Neil chats with Felicity Perdue from Hobart about her preparations for the May 50K, and her very personal motivation to raise money for MS Research.

The May 50K is now underway and Felicity, who was diagnosed with MS in 2019 is taking part for herself, for her late mother and for all those living with MS. Felicity sits down with Phil to talk about her family’s MS journey, what makes her thankful, and how she’s navigated her MS.

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On the eighth episode of the Raw Nerve Podcast, co-host Rohan Greenland laces up his runners ahead of the May 50k and discusses the inspirational lengths that Aussies will go to, to raise vital funding for MS Research.

He’s joined by Samantha Billington from Darwin. Living with MS, Samantha has led an extraordinary May 50K fundraising effort over the last two years. In 2022, with the support of Darwin radio station Hot 100 she and radio personality Brent Watkinson put their May 50K challenge front and centre on a treadmill in a local shopping centre. This year Samantha is hoping her team can walk or run more than 15,000km.

Rohan chats with MS Plus May 50K Program Manager Lauren Hawkins and finds out just how easy it is to sign up and take part in the May 50K

He also speaks with Dr Yvonne Learmonth, an MS Australia fellowship recipient, from Murdoch University about exciting research in the area of physical activity, movement, and exercise, and its critical importance to people living with MS.

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On the seventh episode of the Raw Nerve, co-host Rohan Greenland chats to Dr Tim Coetzee, the Chief Advocacy Services and Science Officer for the National MS Society and MS Australia Head of Research Dr Julia Morahan ahead of an important international summit to be held in New York in early May.

To accelerate MS cures, the National MS Society is convening scientific, medical and public health leaders to contribute to the most promising pathways to cures and to cultivate global collaboration in pursuit of cures.

MS Australia is proud to have joined with 29 other MS Societies, Allied Groups and Professional Organisations to endorse the Pathways to Cures roadmap.

In New York, leaders, including MS Australia President Associate Professor Des Graham, Rohan and Julia will join others from the international MS research community to have an important conversation about where we need to go in MS research to continue this incredible transformation that we have seen in MS treatment over the last thirty years.

Tim notes that “…now it's time for us to actually start focusing on, how do we stop this disease before it really becomes even more present than it is? How do we restore people to what they've lost? So how do we repair? How can we regenerate? And then can we get to a point where we actually can conceptualize a world where, when we say we have a world free of MS, it means there's no more new cases of MS?”

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On the sixth episode of the Raw Nerve, co-host Phil O’Neil catches up with MS advocate a para-cycling world champion Emily Petricola about her inspirational MS journey, her international cycling success and how the two are inextricably linked.

Emily was diagnosed with MS in 2007 at 27 years of age. She talks openly about her treatment, her newfound perspective and the competitive cycling road and goals still ahead.

“Until the day comes where I don't feel that same passion or drive and desire to be the best that I can be, or my body starts to fail maybe beyond the point where I can ignore it, then that's what I'll be doing.”

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On the fifth episode of the Raw Nerve, co-host Rohan Greenland is joined by MS Australia President, Associate Professor Des Graham to explore a new report commissioned by MS Australia and undertaken by the Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, which has found the number of Australians living with multiple sclerosis (MS) is increasing at a significant and accelerating rate.

To help unpack the findings, report authors Principal Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research and Clinical Neurologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital, Professor Bruce Taylor and Head of the Health Economics Research Unit at Menzies and lead author of the report, Professor Andrew Palmer sit down with Rohan and Des to discuss the findings in detail, to examine the many lifestyle and behavioural risk factors that may contribute to a person developing MS, and to discuss the economic impact MS has on Australian society.

Just as important as exploring the why, Des and Rohan discuss what the Government must now do in response to this concerning new data.

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On this, the fourth episode of the Raw Nerve, co-host Phil O’Neil speaks with Art Alexakis, lead singer of American Rock band Everclear, currently touring Australia. Everclear was formed by Art in Portland Oregon in 1991. The band’s first three albums went platinum and the band has sold over 6 million records.

Beyond knowing each other off and on for over 30 years, and their involvement in the music industry, Phil and Art share an even bigger connection, having both been diagnosed with MS in 2016.

Art talks openly about his diagnosis, how his MS affects him when touring and performing, and about being of service to others.

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