Diagnosis leads WVU faculty member to support multiple sclerosis awareness
Ten years after learning about multiple sclerosis as a student in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, Dr. James Bardes was diagnosed with the unpredictable disease. Now, the WVU faculty member and physician is leading efforts in West Virginia and across the nation to create a world free of multiple sclerosis.
“I woke up one morning and couldn't feel my legs. Within two days, I couldn't pick up my son because my hands didn't work,” Bardes, an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Trauma, Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, recalls. “I was lucky enough to have an amazing network of physicians at WVU to quickly make the diagnosis and start treatment.”
Initially devastated by the diagnosis, Bardes learned that significant breakthroughs in treatment had been made since his time as a medical student. Healthcare professionals are now able to help the nearly one million Americans affected by the chronic disease modify or slow its course, treat relapses, manage symptoms, improve function and safety, and address emotional health.
“Overall, I’m doing well now, but I have some permanent sensory deficits in my hands,” Bardes said. “Thankfully I’m able to continue my career as an intensivist, and more importantly I’m a functional dad and husband again.
“Once it became apparent my deficits were going to be permanent, I was comfortable being open about the diagnosis and found my way to being involved with Walk MS and the National MS Society. Because of critical research supported by the National MS Society, my future is brighter.”
Bardes now gives back to the organization by serving as a Board of Trustees member for the Virginia – West Virginia Chapter of the National MS Society and by leading one of the most successful Walk MS teams in the country.
Team Bardes was started in 2020, and despite a global pandemic and virtual event, family, friends and community members came together to raise nearly $70,000, ranking the team 10th in the nation.
“My family and I cannot thank everyone enough for the support,” Bardes said. “This year, we hope to increase our fundraising and increase the reach of our team.”
Thanks to the group’s success, this year’s Walk MS event, traditionally held in Charleston, will take place in Morgantown on May 21, 2022. Sponsored in part by WVU Medicine, participants will begin their walk at the WVU Coliseum to raise awareness and research funds.
To support Team Bardes, visit their Walk MS team site. Members of the Health Sciences community have also created Team Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.
Multiple sclerosis is a potentially disabling disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, and signs and symptoms vary widely, including numbness or tingling, cognitive and emotional changes, pain, fatigue, vision problems and/or paralysis, and may be temporary or long lasting. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50.
Pictured: Dr. James Bardes with his wife, Dr. Allison Bardes, who is a graduate of the WVU School of Medicine and a local ophthalmologist, and their son