Ann Romney: 30 Years With MS, Now Symptom-Free

Ann Romney stood in her grocery store aisle in 1998, leaning on her cart just to stay upright, knowing something was terribly wrong with her body.

The mother of five and avid tennis player had been losing her balance, tripping randomly, and experiencing numbness in her right leg. At 49 years old, she could barely make it through simple daily tasks without overwhelming fatigue.

Her brother, an eye surgeon, urged her to see a neurologist immediately. Within a half-hour appointment in Boston, an MRI confirmed her worst fears: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The doctor sent her home with little guidance, leaving her to navigate an uncertain future alone.

Steroid infusions helped her physical symptoms but did nothing for the exhaustion that trapped her indoors. By Christmas, Ann realized traditional medicine had reached its limits with her condition.

She took control of her own treatment. Reflexology helped reduce stiffness and improve mobility. Returning to horseback riding, her lifelong passion, gave her a reason to get out of bed each morning. Equine therapy has proven benefits for MS patients, and for Ann, it became transformative.

Now 77, the grandmother of 25 says her MS symptoms have virtually disappeared except for occasional fatigue. She lives in Utah with her husband Mitt Romney, the former presidential nominee and recently retired senator, and manages her health through the practices she discovered herself.

Why This Inspires

Ann didn't just survive MS. She founded the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in 2014, investing in research that could change everything for the 1 million Americans living with this incurable disease.

Dr. Howard Weiner, the center's co-director, says new therapies offer genuine hope. Within the next five to ten years, researchers believe they can stop MS progression entirely. That means patients diagnosed today might never experience the debilitating symptoms Ann faced.

Her journey from that grocery store cart to founding a major research center shows what determination paired with hope can accomplish. Ann transformed her diagnosis from a dead end into a launchpad for discovery.

The disease that once left her homebound now fuels her mission to ensure others won't suffer the same fate.