'I never heard of MS until I was diagnosed'

“I came out of Cork Airport on Sunday, and I was walking up to a taxi and the driver asked, ‘What happened to your leg?’. He thought it was sciatica."

With MS Ireland’s National Conference 2025 taking place in Cork next month, a local father has opened up about his journey since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2007. Don Looney, chairperson of MS Ireland’s Cork branch, is affected both physical and mentally by the incurable condition. “I never heard of MS until I was diagnosed,” he said.

“My neighbour up the road has MS and she came down maybe two weeks after and we chatted, and she was part of the Cork branch.

“It’s a lonely disease; a lot of people stay inside home.

“The awareness is the main thing. You have to bring it out there because I don't think it's talked about enough,” added Don. This year’s conference focuses on care, connection, and mental health. Taking place from 9am on 15 November at the Cork International Hotel, the programme will feature a range of talks and workshops exploring the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of living with MS. Speakers will include Dr Rona Moss-Morris, Judith Spring, Dr Susan Coote, and many more.

The conference also serves as a place for people with MS to meet up and connect and feel part of a community.

Saturday’s conference will follow a gala dinner on Friday night which will include a national awards ceremony and live entertainment.

Don, who was going through the process of adopting a child when his symptoms began to become more noticeable, said he hid his symptoms for years.

He said: “I was adopting a baby at the time, and you can’t be seen to be sick when you’re going through that.

“When I was diagnosed, I was told I had it for a long, long time.

“It was my left leg – my clutch leg; I couldn’t take my leg off the clutch when I was driving.”

One important goal for MS Ireland is to promote public awareness and conversation around the condition. Don, who today speaks openly about his own journey, said there are still a lot of misconceptions out there around MS, although public awareness has increased in recent years.

He recalled: “I was at the doctor one day and there was an old couple talking to us and your man says to me ‘gout?’. I said: ‘What?’ He said: ‘You’ve a touch of gout’. I said: ‘I’ve a touch of MS!’. People will say things without realising.

“Another fella told me one day: ‘Once you get your hip done, you’ll be grand!’.”

Aside from the physical aspect of MS, Don has issues with short term memory which he said can be very frustrating.

He said: “People don’t realise that.

“I have to tell my family don’t be asking me to tell the wife something because I could forget, and I was only talking to them five minutes ago, but I might remember it in two days’ time.

“The memory thing is a big thing; concentration is the same. Very frustrating,” added Don.

For anyone living with MS here in Cork and beyond, Don recommends reaching out to the local MS Ireland branch when they feel ready.

“Make your own plan; it’s your decision. There’s no one forcing you to do anything, but the branch is there.

“You don’t have to be part of the branch to get the help. We’re there to help anyone with MS, no matter what,” he added.

For more information and to register for MS Irelands National Conference 2025, visit ms-society.ie.