Music mad Shane McFarlane was a 25-year-old DJ with ambitions of setting up his own record distribution company when he began to experience strange health symptoms.
It started with a seemingly innocuous pain in his knee and was followed by tremors in his hands and an unsteady walk. Unaware of what was happening, Shane continued to try and function as normal as he could.
After a while his family noticed that there was definitely something wrong. He could no longer lift objects without shaking, walk in a straight line or balance without holding onto something.
It was 3 years before he had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan which diagnosed he was suffering with MS. Shane’s words were “Now that the diagnosis has revealed what my condition is, a burden has been lifted off my shoulders”.
The diagnosis made a huge difference with the prescription of drugs and occupational therapy, as did having a particularly supportive neurologist and a close knit family.
Shane was easy going with a ‘wicked sense of humour’, he adjusted well to his condition. Although he needed full time care, his love of music – especially soul, jazz-funk, RnB and garage – did not diminish. He attended Winkfield Resource Centre twice weekly, and had hobbies that he enjoyed such as music and drama
