Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence
A Veteran's Journey Back to VA Care
Kathleen Fitzpatrick -- Prince George's County, MD
A diagnosis of MS led to new healthcare opportunities for Kathleen Fitpatrick. In 1988, when Kathleen first entered a VA medical center, it made her uneasy. She had every reason to feel at home there — nearly a decade of Army service as a medic and operating room technician, plus a family military legacy spanning her father's Air Force service during the Korean War and her uncles' Army and Marine Corps service in Vietnam. Yet despite her impressive credentials and deep military roots, she felt out of place, like the facility was designed for an older, predominantly male population. That discomfort stayed with her, and before long, she stepped away from military life, and VA health care, entirely.
Kathleen started her civilian life by earning a business degree focused on marketing and built a 20-years career in the nonprofit sector. Life seemed on track until June 2001, when a simple pedicure changed everything.
"They soaked my feet in hot water for 40 minutes because they were behind schedule," Kathleen recalls. "Then I came home and cut the grass in 95-degree weather."
The overheating triggered an MS attack and left her numb from the waist down over the next two days, launching what she calls her "medical odyssey."
Using private insurance through her employer, Kathleen found a civilian neurologist who eventually diagnosed her with MS. She began one of the three injectable MS treatment options available at the time. For nearly two decades, she managed her relapsing-remitting MS through private healthcare, working until 2014 when cognitive symptoms and burnout resulted in her retirement.
It was Kathleen’s desire to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as early as possible that brought her back to the VA in 2020. "I just knew the VA would be on top of that," she says. But getting vaccinated required establishing care with a VA primary care physician.
Living with MS: Finding support through VA
At the Washington DC VA Medical Center Women's Health Clinic, Kathleen’s new primary care provider became her gateway back into the VA system. "I was, like, pulled into the system," Kathleen explains. The doctor referred her to MS specialists, connecting Kathleen with the MS Center of Excellence care system. The transformation in VA care amazed her. The modern MS clinic offered not just advanced MS medications, but comprehensive interdisciplinary care including cognitive rehabilitation, services her private insurance had never offered.
Now, Kathleen has found a new mission. Since 2009, she's been deeply involved with Veteran organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), where she served as district and post commander, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). She is the President of the Colonial PVA Chapter for Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, DC and New York, and co-chairs the Women Veteran Program for the Colonial Chapter. Kathleen also volunteers through the VFW's "Cooties" subgroup, where she brings joy to long-term care Veterans through monthly bingo games and holiday care packages.
Her advice to Veterans hesitating about VA care is direct: "Don't be afraid to reach out to the VA for medical care related to your MS, because they're excellent at it." She acknowledges that some Veterans may still carry outdated impressions but emphasizes that the VA of today offers cutting-edge treatments and specialized services designed specifically for Veterans' needs.
Kathleen’s journey from an uneasy young Veteran to an advocate for VA care illustrates how the system has evolved. "I walked away from military life completely," she reflects, "but it's only over the last 4 years that I've come back into the fold." For Veterans with MS, that return can mean access to world-class care and a community that understands both military service and chronic illness.
