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2001 – Vol. 15 No. 1 |
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Radio Personality Plugs MS Education
It has been 10 years since Kym Sellers learned that she has
MS, and they have been 10 of the most positive and productive years
of her life. She landed a high-profile job at WZAK FM/93.1, where
she hosts Quiet Storm, the station’s love show from 8-12 p.m.
Monday through Friday. She delivered two beautiful daughters –
Sydney, who is five, and two-year-old Syarra and is due with her
third child this month.
Still, the disease has taken its toll. She was just 25, an avid
runner training for the Susan Komen Race for the Cure, when she
noticed her left leg was getting weak. A doctor in Detroit told
her she might have MS. Her mother insisted that she come to the
Cleveland Clinic for a second opinion. Although her first MRI and
spinal tap didn’t confirm the diagnosis, Mellen Center specialists
agreed that MS was the likely cause of her growing weakness. Subsequent
MRIs confirmed their suspicions.
Today, Ms. Sellers walks with a pronounced limp and has to rely
on a cane. Spasticity and numbness are part of her everyday life.
A cloud over her eye comes and goes.
“And then there are days, when I just can’t get up at
all, days when my husband literally has to lift me out of bed,”
says Ms. Sellers.
Alarmed by the lack of information about multiple sclerosis in
the African American community and the prevalence of the disease,
Ms. Sellers decided to use her celebrity to help other African Americans
with MS. Last year, she launched her own Foundation, the Kym Sellers
Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating African
Americans about multiple sclerosis, offering financial support to
those with the disease and funding research.
With the launching of her foundation, Ms. Sellers shared her diagnosis
with the world. Since then, she says that the support she has received
has been overwhelming.
“I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t get a
call or a note from someone telling me that they are praying for
me,” she says. “And my bosses and co-workers have been
very supportive. They are always looking for ways to make my life
easier.”
Ms. Sellers says that even more important is the support of her
husband, former NBA player Brad Sellers, who now works as a community
liaison for economic development in the city of Warrensville.
“We’ve got a morning system that is out of this world
with the kids,” she says. “His job is to get them up,
get them dressed, get their faces washed and teeth brushed. Then
he sends them down. I do the hair, the breakfast and lunches. He
takes them – I pick them up. We’re a great team.”
Ms. Sellers’ parents still play a big role in her life, as
well. Though no longer married, both live in the Cleveland area
and keep in close touch with their dynamic daughter. They worry
about her health, but both concede that their daughter is a fighter.
“I’ve never been one to focus on the negative. I’m
a very prayerful person. I believe in a higher power,” says
Ms. Sellers. “And I’m not going down without a fight.”
Among her weapons is her daily exercise routine. At home, she uses
free weights, a stationary bike and a Stairmaster. She also attends
a supervised workout called Pilates. For a recent Kym Sellers Foundation
educational forum, she booked a wellness expert who presented the
benefits of aquatic exercise. She plans to give the program a try.
“I’m also a big believer in good nutrition and vitamins,”
says Ms. Sellers. “I’ve tried just about every power drink
out there.”
Ms. Sellers says she has come to terms with her MS. “Life
could be better, but it could be a whole lot worse. Like my husband
says, ‘It is what it is.’”
The Kym Sellers Foundation is developing a database of African
Americans with MS. To add your name to the list, or to contact Ms.
Sellers for more information, please call 216/691-6551.Kym Sellers
is host of Cleveland’s WZAK FM/93.1 radio show “Quiet
Storm.”
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