I might be the only MD Anderson patient who never had cancer. Or, at least, that’s how I felt on that winter day in 2008 when I first entered the Main Building and began my MD Anderson journey.

Actually, my journey began 2 1/2 years earlier, when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). I was a distance runner, and when I started tripping for no reason, I knew something was wrong. After a few months, my symptoms escalated...