GREELEY — When he began, after high school and starting college, being a doctor was never on his mind.
But then, neither was multiple sclerosis.
For Dr. William Shaffer at North Colorado Medical Center, MS has become a large part of his life.
He is a neurologist, specializing in MS. And he has the disease.
This week is MS Awareness Week, and Shaffer’s full-page photo has been in national magazines, and he’s likely to appear on a billboard on Times Square in New York City.
It has guided his life, the MS and how he can help others with the disease. It was a life headed in another direction for a long time.
“I was in college when I met some guys in a band who needed a drummer,” Shaffer said. “I’d never played the drums before, but I decided to try.” The band, called “The Breathers,” was successful enough to make some records and a video. Shaffer dropped out of college and moved to New Jersey with the band.
He was working in carpentry and playing in the band for a couple of years, then — as many stories go — the band broke up.
Shaffer decided he wanted to be a doctor and enrolled in medical school in New Jersey. In his second year of med school, he woke up one April morning in 2002, and his feet felt like they were burning. Later, he started to become numb from his waist down. The doctors had a difficult time diagnosing MS, as they still do, sometimes, but finally, Shaffer knew he had the disease.
“I thought I’d have to drop out of med school,” he said. “Then I decided this could be a blessing if I became a neurologist.” And so Shaffer completed med school, had a residency in New Jersey and a fellowship in MS at the University of Chicago. In August, he accepted the position at NCMC in the Neurology Clinic.
He is married to his high school sweetheart. They got back together after a 13-year separation. Kristi Shaffer is a social worker in Denver.
“I was able to tailor my career my way,” Shaffer said. “My strong point is interaction with the patients. When I tell a patient I have MS, too, the room just lights up.”
“Word is getting out that I have MS,” Shaffer said. “Now close to half my neurology patients are MS patients who I can help.”
