When Chuck Thoele’s son announced that he was moving to New York City, his dad envisioned visits punctuated by Broadway shows and classic pizza slices. What he didn’t expect was learning about a neurologist that would change the trajectory of his life.
After relocating from Dallas to Manhattan, Chuck’s son Nick began experiencing numbness in his hand and arm. Concerned, he visited Dr. Saud Sadiq at the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice of New York, the clinical practice affiliated with the Tisch MS Research Center of New York. Thankfully, he was fine—but hearing about the experience piqued the interest of Chuck, who has been living with MS since 2007, and he quickly made an appointment of his own.
That visit marked the beginning of Chuck’s transformation.
“I saw what it meant to be treated by a true MS specialist,” Chuck reflects. “It was a night-and-day difference.”
Before finding IMSMP and Tisch MSRCNY, Chuck had been under the care of a local neurologist. But his disease was progressing, and so were his feelings of desperation and frustration. “I didn’t feel like myself,” he said. “It seemed like life as I knew it was slipping away before my eyes.”
Under Dr. Sadiq’s expert care, critical medication adjustments helped stabilize his condition. That stability paved the way for something even more remarkable: the opportunity to participate in the Center’s pioneering stem cell treatment program. Chuck began stem cell therapy—and the results changed his life.
Today, the use of his dominant hand has gone from just 20% functionality to an impressive 98%. He no longer needs a cane or foot drop assistance to walk. He plays golf with his son again. He travels with his wife, Beth, without a problem. And he proudly walked his daughter Brooke down the aisle on the day of her wedding.
These aren’t just medical milestones, they’re deeply personal triumphs.
Chuck’s outlook has shifted completely. “I used to feel discouraged and desperate,” he says. “Now, I’m hopeful. I’m grateful. I’m present every day for our family.”
“I support MS research because I’ve seen what it can do. I’m living proof,” Chuck says. Together with Beth, Chuck has grown the family’s connection to Tisch MSRCNY and embraced a new mindset: one focused on what’s possible, not just what’s been lost.
These days, Chuck travels to see his grandchildren (he just welcomed a 4th!), trips that were once unthinkable, without significant physical support. He wakes up each morning with purpose, knowing that the science he’s benefitted from could change someone else’s life, too.
With every step he takes—on the golf course, through the airport, and next to his daughter down the aisle—Chuck is walking in hope. And thanks to the Tisch MS Research Center, his story is still unfolding, full of movement, meaning, and momentum.
